Dalek Sec: To start a new life
by TheOtherAlternative
Summary: A seer's words 'andamoi nerio devinl husne kravdel bai'. A surge of shadow energy. A life restored. Human-Dalek Hybrid Sec is back.
1. Surviving the Theatre

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

**Warning**: New writer

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><p><em>The early morning of November 2<em>_nd__ 1930A.D_

_I wait patiently by the side of the stage, out of sight. Still unsure why Camru had sent me here. Something was going to kick off soon enough._

_There was a man in a blue suit holding a sonic device in the air letting it give off a signal. Something was coming. The man's friends stood near him, nervously, among the rows of chairs. Their anxiety filled the theatre's atmosphere._

_They were talking. Some sort of argument with a hint of desperation?_

_A hear marching fill the room, among the chairs. And then stop. The people continue to talk, I can't hear them properly but I can sense that there is some kind of panic. Try to move unnoticed to a better place._

_An explosion. The people scream. Dust and smoke fall upon the stage. Two metallic creatures advance, a humanoid crawls chained to them, I cannot yet make out the humanoid's details._

_Eventually, the dust and smoke clears. I recognise the metallic creatures, beings of my nightmares. Daleks. The humanoid, sits as best he can on the stage, the chains clearly restraining his movements. But his features interest me. A Human-Dalek combination? The mutant Kaled form somehow in human shape?_

_I have to ideas fighting inside my head. One to run. The other to reveal my position. Then I remember Camru's words. andamoi nerio devinl husne kravdel bai. I am here for a reason, my quest, I have to complete it._

**The Doctor will stand before the Daleks.**

_I see the man in the blue suit step up onto the chairs and walk down the rows towards the Daleks. I steal a glance at the humans that emotionlessly line the side of the theatre, carrying Dalek weaponry._

**You will die Doctor at the dawn of a new age.**

_One of the Dalek's states. Is this the man I am to save? Doctor. I recognise the name though I cannot place it._

**Planet Earth will become new Skaro.**

_I hope not. Camru did not predict this and Camru is always right. Always._

'Oh and what a world. With everything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt.'

_I hear (and personally share) his anger. I know the Daleks well enough._

'That's Dalek Sec.' The Doctor motions towards the Dalek-humanoid. 'Don't you remember?'

_Bugger, it's the cult of Skaro. Run. No. Wait. Dalek Sec is there leader, isn't he? My curiosity helps keep me where I am. Afraid, but I refuse to let myself run._

'The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him.'

_Is there a slight respect in the Doctor's voice? Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. I know that name._

'Is that your new empire?...Is that you foundation for a whole new civilisation?'

_Dalek Sec stirs to speak. _

'My Daleks, just understand this...'

_Now I know. Was Dalek Sec slightly breathless? Why wasn't he incharge? Oh please Camru not him. I know him. You know that. You must have, you know what he's done to me. Why did you send me to save him? Why not send somebody else? One of your people? andamoi nerio devinl husne kravdel bai. andamoi nerio devinl husne kravdel bai. andamoi nerio devinl husne kravdel bai..._

'If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you.'

_...andamoi nerio devinl husne kravdel bai. andamoi nerio devinl husne kravdel bai. There are truth in those words. The words Dalek Sec spoke. I wonder at them slightly. Camru's words fading from the front of my mind._

**Incorrect. We always survive.**

_Unfortunately._

**And now we will kill our greatest enemy. The Doctor.**

_Karchtakavaar. The oncoming storm. The bringer of darkness. Ka Faraq Gatri. The destroyer of the words. How could I forget the Doctor? I had clung to his name in hope as a prisoner of the Daleks. Taking joy the names they gave him. Sadly, I admit I do not know him by a more suitable name._

'But he can help you.' _Dalek Sec cried out, surprising me. Why would the Doctor help any of the Dalek race?_

**The Doctor must die.**

'No, I beg you.' _Dalek Sec struggled to stand._

**Exterminate.**

_The Dalek fired a shot aimed at the Doctor, though it hit Dalek Sec instead. He screamed and fell dead._

_I can't believe it, I thought to myself. A Dalek attempting to protect the Doctor. It doesn't make any sense. I don't understand._

'You're own leader. The only creature that would have led you from the darkness and you destroyed him.'

_The only creature that could have led you from the darkness? What did he mean?_

'Did you see what they did? Did you see what a Dalek really is?' _The Doctor turns addressing the Dalek-Humans._ 'If I'm going to die let's give the new boys a shot, what do you think? The Dalek-Humans, their first blood. Come on. Baptise them.'

_The last bit said in anger. I can't give myself away. I was told to wait. Please Doctor, please have something up your sleeve. It's not you I'm here to save._

**Dalek-Humans take aim.**

_I hear the Dalek guns prime, all pointing at the Doctor. The Doctor can't die, not today. I'm not meant to save him, I think, I know. And therefore he cannot die today. Camru would've said. I'm to save one person, and I'm not keen on who it's meant to be._

'What are you waiting for? Give the command.'

**Exterminate.**

_I flinch, but nothing happens._

**Exterminate.**

_Again nothing. Did the Doctor know? Is this what he expected?_

**Obey. Dalek-Humans will obey.**

'What have you done?' _A voice asks the Doctor. One of the people huddled together._

**You will obey. Exterminate.**

'Why?' _A Dalek-Human near the stage asks._

**Daleks do not question orders.**

'But why?' _Asks the same man, with a confused expression._

**Stop this.**

'But why?'

**You must not question.**

'But you are not our master. And we...we are not Daleks'

'And you never will be.' _The Doctor says. _'Sorry I got in the way of the lightening strike. Time lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom.'

**If they will not obey then they must die.**

_The Dalek fires a shot at the man who questioned him._

'Get down.' _The Doctor calls out, as the Dalek-Humans (or Dalek-Human-Time Lords) turn and fire their weapons at the Daleks._

**Exterminate.**

_Three of them are shot down by the Daleks. The Dalek force fields weakening with every shot, one of them explodes. I fight the urge to make any vocal noise as I jump back, further away from the stage, to avoid flying pieces of Dalekanium. Another person screams and dies, before the other Dalek explodes. Again, I manage to soundlessly dodge flying pieces of Dalek. The gunfire ceases._

'It's alright, it's alright, it's alright.' _The Doctor repeats, his tone sounded reassuring._ 'You did it. You're free.'

_A high pitched sound emits from nowhere. I can only just hear it. The Dalek-Human-Time Lords scream at its sound. The others in the theatre don't seem to hear it. But the Doctor knows what's going on._

'No.' _He cries out vainly. '_They can't, they can't, they can't' _He repeats over angrily._

'What happened? What was that?' _A voice asks. The same one as before._

'They killed them, rather than let them live. An entire species...Genocide.' _The Doctor explains, not hiding any of his rage._

'Only two of the Daleks were destroyed.' _A new voice states_. 'One of the Dalek masters must still be alive.'

'Oh yes. In the whole universe. Just one.' _The Doctors anger still present in his voice before striding quickly and purposely out of the back of the theatre. The others follow and try to keep up with him._

_I think carefully, while I wait to make sure that they are gone. Four Daleks in the cult of Skaro: Sec; Caan; Jast and Thay. Caan. The only Dalek that I have not seen. I hope the Doctor and his friends can solve this without my help, I think remembering the task at hand._

_I'm step slowly out from the side of the stage, carefully picking my way out. The only living thing in a silent theatre, for the moment. Trembling slightly I kneel beside the body of Dalek Sec. Why am I doing this? I can't do it. andamoi nerio devinl husne kravdel bai. The Doctor had respect for him, whereas I held nothing but fear, anger and confusion. I don't have long. Now or never. I made up my mind, determined I placed my hand on the Human-Dalek's forehead. Only clinically dead. No breathe or heartbeat, just a few thoughts floating around before they too died._

_Dakenlo strouth etne an pregenos. I chant commandingly. I feel a surge of energy leave me. The body's heart beats once more, the lungs dragging in air. Right, no going back now. I take Dalek Sec by his shoulders and drag him offstage. I need to get somewhere where we won't be found. Where I can recover my strength._


	2. Awake and Alive

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

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><p>I'm aware only of thought. For the moment. Then a sense comes to life. Pain. Pain and a gust of cold air against my face, but there was a warmth radiating from elsewhere. I don't know what's happening. I concentrate on remembering. A dark theatre. Chains. The dust. Dalek-Humans. 100 Dalek. The Doctor preparing to face his death for at least the second time within 6 hours. This is not what I wanted.<p>

A sound. I can hear. A quiet crackling. A fire? And a whistle. The wind? It's so cold on my face, but the rest of me is warm.

I stir trying to recover my sense of sight. Failed, for the moment. The air is wet. Then I realise I must be outside. I have never been outside in this form. Why am I outside? I turn back to my memories for an answer. I find none. I am meant to de dead. Is this death? No. I think therefore I am.

I feel soft fibres against my hand. Tickling slightly. Irritatingly.

I wait a few more moments, before attempting to regain my sight again. This time it worked. I open my eye. I saw tiny drops of Dihydrogen Monoxide frozen in a crystalline structure, falling from the sky and coming to rest on the ground. I saw I was wrapped in soft, though irritating fibre, keeping me warm...No not fibres, nor cloth. Fur. Real fur. I tilted my head upwards. A grand network of bare branches, of the tree I lean against, appear dark against the night sky. And then a saw the fire. A small camp fire, struggling against the wind.

Finally I see the figure of a young girl. Standing on the other side of the fire, facing away into the maze of endless trees. She was dressed in green and brown cloth, though nothing on her feet, a small fur cloak hung from her shoulders to keep her warm. A sword hilt at her side, slightly hidden from view by her cloak, and a bow and a quiver of arrows slung across her back also hidden, but by her long brown hair. Primitive weapons. Cheap, but had proved effective enough on this planet for many years. That is, presuming I am still on Earth.

She must have known I was looking her, because she suddenly spun around, holding herself in an aggressive stance. Her green eyes fixing me with a glare. I knew that face from somewhere but it was impossible to place. I just sat. Studying her, unsure what to do.

Eventually I pulled my gaze away from her, but still watched her from the corner of my eye. She hadn't taken her eyes off me, but crouched down and pulled something away from the fire. I could not see what it was. A little while later she approached carrying a water skin and a wooden bowl containing some kind of crop. Maize? Rice? Rice I identified.

She offered these to me without a word and returned to the other side of the fire, still glaring. How was it that she could express this hate and yet still offer food, water and warmth? Her actions were completely illogical.

I drank from the water skin. My first drink. The girl had kept it by the fire, most likely to stop the contents from freezing. None-the-less it was warm and that felt good against the winter wind. I then tried the rice. My first meal. The first time I tasted anything. Prior knowledge told me to expect a plain flavour. But instead it was more like an explosion of flavours. Which I could not explain. Perhaps it felt like this only because I was unused to using the sense of taste.

The whole time I made sure I was looking away from the girl. Deliberately avoiding her glare. She knew me as I Dalek that was obvious. Why else would she glare at me so intense and consistently? But then why would she offer me a kindness in any form? I know her from somewhere.

I turned my attention away from her. Perhaps I was focussing too much. Our surroundings. Trees. Endless trees. We were alone. I felt some gladness at that. No Hoover Ville. No people. I did not want to risk startling a human any time soon. But it made me wonder. Why was I here? Why was I alive? I thought briefly of the Doctor. Had he escaped? What of the cult and the Dalek Humans?

My thoughts turned back to the girl. No more than fifteen years of age in appearance. Fur cloak, thick shirt and leggings coloured green and brown, no footwear, a sword and set of bow and arrows. I tried to put a year on her dress. Tribal? Celtic? Angle? Saxon? Viking? No use. She didn't fit into any of the categories I could think of. She was my only clue as to what had happened and yet I refused to speak to her, as she did to me. Why didn't we speak? It was although there was a battle going on between my presence and hers. The first being who spoke admitted defeat. A social defeat? I did not understand.

This was only going to end one way. I had to break the tension in the air, but what to say? The fact that bothered me most – I knew her but couldn't recall any information. I sighed. 'I cannot identify you. Who are you?' I asked, assuming the girl spoke English. After all that was the most common language in New York, which is where she probably found me.

She sat back slightly. Her glare fading in power slightly, curiosity taking its place. 'May.' She replied simply.

I could not recognise the name. 'You know who I am?'

She nodded. 'Dalek Sec, leader of the cult of Skaro, made to imagine and think like the enemy.'

I could see it in her eyes, she knew more. I found that unnerving. Our brief conversation died.

After a while I tried to get up, but yelled in pain and fell back against the tree. An after effect of being shot by a Dalek. My muscles were stiff, tense and hence too painful to fully support me and move a significant distance.

May came over to me. She placed her hands on my shoulders. Her fingers dug in a certain points. 'What are you doing?' I cried, as I felt more pain. She didn't answer. The pain faded although her grip did not, until it had completely gone. She then moved to another point on by back. Only then did I understand what she was doing. She was loosening my muscles one by one via a system of pressure points.

A few minutes later she had finished her work, and moved away. I scrambled to my feet, using the tree for support. Although I no longer felt any pain, my balance took it's time returning. I noticed May had returned and sat at her spot by the fire. For once she was not looking at me, but at the fire. Her expression solemn, but, other than that, unreadable.

I walked slowly around the fire. Carrying the fur with me. It was cold. Very cold.

May glanced up now and then, probably to check where I was. At first I had planned to walk over to her, before deciding that it wasn't a very wise idea. I turned by attention to the surroundings once again. I could not come to a better conclusion than before.

After a while I turned to May. 'Who are you?' I asked again.

'What do you mean by that?' She replied.

'I know you from somewhere, don't I? But I can't place it.'

May sighed and met my gaze. 'Aye, you know me. I am one of the Rani's greatest works.'

I felt like my heart was turning to stone. I was shaking. I struggled to breathe properly. Unsure how to cope with this emotional reaction I stumbled onto the ground, hiding beneath the fur, hiding from May.

She looked so much older now. How could I forget? After the extinction of the Mechanoids. Not long after the Cult of Skaro had been created. An incident towards the start of the Time war came to our attention. An abandoned laboratory once belonging to the Rani had been discovered. We exploited any knowledge we could gain from the place. And particularly the only living thing left inside that was not Dalek. A being who's genetics held unusual amounts of information, allowing it to adapt, within its own lifetime, to new and extreme environments. A unique individual. A child. Looking younger then than she did now. She was thoroughly investigated and not without feeling a great deal of pain. Our knowledge in that area was lacking and so she soon became useless. We did not destroy her, in case we could use her later on, in the war. When our knowledge was potentially greater. But then the prison where she was kept was invaded by the Time Lords, and what happened to her next, only she would know.

I felt my guilt crushing in on me. Emotional pain. I felt I had only one option left. I would take my life. It should have been lost not so long ago.

Slowly I took away the fur. The frozen Dihydrogen Monoxide had stopped falling from the sky. May was not in sight. I had not heard her leave. The fire was still going, though very little wood was left. The water skin was missing, but May had left behind her weaponry and what looked like an old, but tough bag.

First I tried the sword. I blinked in surprise when I drew out the sword. It was just a hilt. There was no blade. I dropped the hilt and it landed with a thud on the floor. Why? Why no blade? Next I picked up an arrow. A perfect shaft, but again missing the point in the end. The arrow just stopped. No point carved in or a metal head attached. What was the point in these weapons? They were useless.

I put the arrow back. I had half an idea of burning myself alive, before realising that it would take too long and the fire was too small anyway. Next idea. Rope. I searched the bag, and found some near the top.

I quickly tied a large loop and a knot. Not a hangman's knot but one that would do the job regardless. The next challenge was attaching it to a tree. I put my head in the loop before attempting to climb one. I decided to use the tree on the other side of the fire, where I had woken up. It had low branches which made it easier to climb. I lost my grip a few times while I was climbing, I was not used to this kind of physical movement, but eventually I reached a branch that was high enough from the ground and tied the other end of the rope to it. I wondered briefly if I should have left May a note, an explanation. Too late now, I thought and threw myself from the tree.

It was working. I felt the knot tighten around my neck. My body was suffocating. I would feel the relief of death soon. No more guilt. No more pain. No more-

I fell and landed hard on the ground. I saw an arrow sticking out of the tree. It must have cut the rope. On the other side of the fire May dropped the bow and ran to me, whipping the loop away from my neck. Her eyes burned with anger. She was out of breath. I guessed she had ran a great distance. Had she known what I was doing? How? And how had she used arrows that had no points?

'Get up.' She told me, her voice thick with anger. I did as I was told. Why, I don't know. I felt an essence of fear within me. Was my fear a reaction to May's anger?

May climbed the tree lightly, and quickly as though it were an easy skill. She untied the rope and pulled the arrow out from the tree. It had a metal point. I saw it. I saw it fade from view as though it had never existed.

May jumped down from the tree and landed soundlessly. I noticed that about May. Unless she was talking she made no sound. And her feet left no mark on the ground.

She looked me in the eye. 'Don't ever do that again.' She said it quietly, which only added to the power of her words. I saw that she did not have the water skin on her person.

She placed the arrow back in the quiver before returning back to where I stood. I said and did nothing. She studied me. Then picked up the fur I had discarded on the ground, and placed it across my shoulders. 'Hold.' Again I did as I was told.

I noticed that the fur did not have a fixed rectangular shape to it. It had a hood and an extra bit which hung from one of the corners that sat upon my shoulders. May was searching the bag for something. She found it and came back.

She took the extra piece and brought it across by chest to the other corner on my other shoulder. I understood the hint and let my arms drop to my side. She fixed the two ends together with a circular broach. She hesitated from letting go, running her thumb around it. Sentimental value?

'Come.' She said, walking off, when I did not immediately follow she took my wrist and pulled me along. She did not let go until I fell into step beside her.

I lost sight of camp behind us. We had walked quite far. 'Where are we going?' I asked, eventually. May did not answer, she still burned with anger.

A while later we stopped. I saw the water skin left and a large bundle of wood abandoned upon the ground. I guessed May had left them in her hurry to reach me before I died. Which begged the questions, why save me? How did she know?

May gathered the wood and handed it to me. She picked up the water skin, opened the cap and turned it upside down. Nothing came out. Already its contents had frozen. May put the cap back on and marched off the way we came. I followed her.


	3. The Blizzard

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

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><p><em>The late afternoon of December 4<em>_th__ 1930A.D_

_We sat by the fire. I refuse to let Dalek Sec leave my side. I had placed some wood on the fire, the rest was piled waiting to go on later. The water skin I put near the fire so that the water would melt, I was glad to find that it had not cracked. Water, being an unusual substance, expands when it freezes._

_I no longer felt angry or annoyed I had not the energy. I had met Camru in the woods away from camp. She had been glad that I had overcome my initial feelings and saved Dalek Sec's life. I asked her why he was so important. But she dismissed the question saying simply: anothi domlent; time shall speak for itself. Why do seers always speak in riddles? We had not spoken much when she told me to return to camp. There had been an urgent tone in her voice that made me abandon all that I was carrying and run. Sure enough I arrived before Dalek Sec killed himself. When we returned to the site where I had ran back to camp, Camru had already left. Probably needed elsewhere._

_But for now I sat next to Dalek Sec, who had decided that I was worth researching, worth giving orders that caused me such pain before leaving me in a prison cell. The same creature now sat in humanoid form. I had not yet asked why. And I didn't really want to know. All I knew was that he had emotions. Some stronger than others. As I recall his reaction to remembering who I was. Guilt? Had that then led to his suicide attempt?_

'Why did you stop me?' _Dalek Sec asked breaking up my thoughts._

_What could I say? How much is he allowed to know? Would he believe the words of a seer?_

'Anothi domlent.' _I told him. He didn't appear to understand. '_It translates as, time will speak for itself. Meaning that...' _I stopped. I didn't know._

'That?'

'I can't say exactly, what it would mean for you. But basically, we have to wait until the answer presents itself.'

'In other words you don't know.'

_I looked at him. He was clever._

'Was there anything else?'

'Else?'

'You knew to come back and you arrived at the right time. How did you know?'

_I sighed. What harm would telling him do? He was under my watch, probably wouldn't believe me and evidently no longer as deadly as before. Though still deadly. I thought carefully for a while. He didn't probe any further, or say or do anything. He just waited. I gathered my thoughts._ 'Camru. A seer, told me.' _He would not know the name, very few people did and the Daleks had never encountered Camru's people._

'You knew to come back on the words of a seer.' _He stated it. No doubt finding the idea illogical, though it had worked._

'The same seer that had me seek out the theatre.' _I told him._

'You were at the theatre?'

_I nodded._

'What happened next? After I was shot?'

'The Doctor spoke to the Daleks for a bit, convinced them that the Dalek-Humans should be the ones to kill him instead.' I noticed Dalek Sec's confusion at that. 'Turned out they couldn't do it. They refused to obey. The Doctor said that he got in the way of the lightening strike, that his DNA had added an element of freedom. And then gunfire broke out between the Daleks and the Dalek-Humans.' _Dalek Sec was considering everything that I said very carefully._ 'Both Daleks were destroyed, a sound was emitted and the Dalek-Humans died. The Doctor and his friends then left in search of Dalek Caan. I don't know the results of that. I had work to do.'

_Dalek Sec was quiet for a moment. I knew that he understood that the last bit meant him. _'I should have been dead.' _He stated, in a way that meant he wanted an explanation._

'You were. Clinically.' _That is all the explanation I can give him. I can't say any more. Not yet, at least._

_We sat in silence for a while. Night had come, the clouds had cleared so that the stars were visible. But it was cold. Dalek Sec undid the broach on his cloak so that he could wrap fur around him. He held the broach, studying the pattern._

'Celtic?' _He asked. _'And it means a lot to you.'

_I nodded._

'But you have your own.' _I understood what he was suggesting. Why have two, when there was only one of me?_

'It was a gift, from a friend, before a battle.' _I explained, not liking where the conversation was leading._

'When, where, who and who against?'

'61AD. Watling Street. Boudicca queen of the Iceni. Against the Romans, led by Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, under Emperor Nero.'

'You come from a time after that battle. Did you know the outcome before hand?'

'Aye.'

'And you still fought?'

'Aye. Prior knowledge is nothing. I do not leave my friends, unless death takes them where I can't follow.'

'Because of honour?'

'Friendship.'

_Dalek Sec thought deeply for a while. I knew this was a concept that Daleks did not understand, so I let him think for himself and draw his own conclusions._

'What was the language you spoke earlier?'

_I was not sure if I could give a satisfactory answer to that question_. 'What do you know of the folklore of this planet?'

'Little.'

'Perhaps it is better if I say nothing then.' _He wanted to protest, but didn't. I went over all of his actions today. He had submitted to everything I told him to do, that was not the expected response of someone who believed they were superior. I looked at his humanoid form. He had emotions, that was clear. Had they changed his view? What would that mean for the future? Is that why Camru had sent me to find him? And what about me? How did I feel about this? Could I trust him? Was he different? If so, would he stay that way?_

_Enough questions, I was tried enough as it was. I glanced at Dalek Sec. He had pulled the fur up to keep out the cold and had gone to sleep. Satisfied that he would not wake for a while I did the same._

_When I woke it must have been near morning. It was the cold that had woken me. The wind had picked up, the clouds were back and it was snowing heavily. I was shivering violently and looked around. Dalek Sec had gone. There were no tracks, the snow had already covered them up._

_Not sure what else to do I ran. I couldn't see clearly more than a metre ahead as the blizzard whipped through the trees. Which way? Which way do I go? I stood still for a moment, in thought. Ignoring the wind and the cold. Relying on instinct to give me and idea as to where to go._

_Left. I ran in that direction. Soon enough I saw a figure stumbling through the snow ahead, and ran towards it. It was him. I didn't stop running, and that proved to be a problem. I ran into him, and we fell to the floor._

_I caught his bewildered look and also a bundle of wood, now scattered upon the ground. He pulled me to my feet and picked up the wood, I helped now understanding why he had left camp. But in a blizzard?_

_I was frozen, I had took my cloak off in order to sleep, so wasn't wearing it properly, abandoning it when I ran out of the camp. Dalek Sec noticed this and came to my side, draping his fur cloak around me as well as himself._

'Which way?' _He asked, shouting against the wind so that I could hear him._

_I pointed, and we walked together. It made sense, now. The fire had died and we were out of wood, but when the snow storm arrived there was no way for Dalek Sec to find his way back to camp._

_My instinct was not wrong. Not only had I found Dalek Sec, but I found the camp as well. There was no point in lighting a fire, we both knew the wind would instantly blow it out. And there was nowhere to hide from the storm. So we stood shivering against a tree (though it offered little shelter, it was better than none), wrapped tightly in Dalek Sec's cloak, as mine was now buried beneath the snow. Never had I imagined this._


	4. Moving On

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

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><p>Standing against a storm all I could think about was the child next to me. She had been through much and had done much for me. I wondered greatly at that. And now she was relying on me for survival as much as I on her. I was aware that the only way we would survive was together.<p>

First things first, I thought, we need to find better shelter. The woods may be secluded but it offered little weather protection. We needed a building. Even the transgenic lab was better than standing out here. How far away was the nearest town or village? We had to be near New York, it seems unlikely that May would be able to take me too far, whilst I was in an unconscious state.

Secondly, the problem of people. I cannot dare to go anywhere where there may be people. I would not like to discover their reaction towards me, especially if they knew who I was. Must avoid Hoover Ville, I remembered.

We need to make sure we have a suitable amount of food and Dihydrogen Monoxide. Food I know May has, but how much? And after that runs out it could well be impossible to find some more. Clean Dihydrogen Monoxide that isn't a frozen form could also be potentially difficult to find.

I went through the list of our needs in my head several times, exploring different outcomes and ideas. I had little success, mainly because I did not know exactly where we were.

Slowly the storm moved on. But we were still cold, and wet. The frozen Dihydrogen Monoxide still fell from the sky but at a slower rate. It had formed a layer about half a metre deep on the ground.

May had stopped shivering quite so much now and she moved away. I watched as she pulled various items out from beneath the frozen Dihydrogen Monoxide. Within a few minutes, if that, May had uncovered everything we needed and appeared ready to go. I realised then the she had also reached the conclusion that we needed to go somewhere with better shelter.

'Where are we?' I asked when she appeared to have finished.

She hesitated before answering 'Sterling forest.'

I nodded, and faced South East knowing that to be the direction we needed to take to go back to New York. May appeared at my side carrying the wood I had gathered in her arms.

'Ready?' She asked.

'The sooner the better.' I replied before heading off.

'We're not going that way.' May called.

'But this is the way to New York. It wouldn't take more than a few days walk, at most. We can find shelter there.'

'We're not going to New York.'

I knew May already had a destination in mind. I was frustrated but not prepared to give up my idea just yet. 'The place you would lead us. - How long would it take for us to walk there?' I asked.

'A few hours walk from here.'

Not the answer I was expecting, nor the answer I wanted to hear. 'Does it have shelter?'

'Aye.'

'Food?'

'Aye.'

'Liquid Dihydrogen Monoxide?'

'Water. And yes. Clean, free and unfrozen.'

I sighed. May was winning. 'What about people?'

'No people.'

Inwardly I wished that I had thought of that place first and had the advantage. But I didn't. I didn't even know what or where this place was. 'Does it have a name?'

'Nothing specific or unique. I've called by the same name as similar places. Refuge.'

Logically it sounded like a better place, but for some reason I wanted to go back to New York. I didn't know if it was stubbornness, or if it was because of the want to be somewhere familiar. I guess I am no longer completely logical with my decisions, I thought knowing I was fighting a losing battle.

'Well Dalek Sec, are you coming or not?' May called from a distance. She didn't not seem to notice me flinch and the word _Dalek_ when she called my name.

'What's the or not?' I asked, wondering what was meant by the alternative she offered.

'I drag you there.'

In other words I had no choice. Half of me wanted to leave this creature, the rest said I had not the strength, that I would regret it and that I would suffer from loneliness, if I left. Dying still didn't appear to be a bad idea, though the will to survive had grown since yesterday.

Sighing again in defeat I turned and followed May. If I was stuck with her then it would be easier if she wasn't always on the lookout for me. If I could gain some of her trust...

As I walked beside her, the opposite direction to the way I had wanted to go, I noticed her feet again. No footwear, but they weren't frozen or suffering from the cold in anyway. They walked through the frozen _water_ (as May called it) without leaving any tracks. I watched amazed at this. The frozen water compressed under May's feet, as it did my own, but when she lifted them the frozen water went back to its uncompressed state. Logically and physically impossible, I couldn't think of a single theory to explain it. May noticed my interest.

'It's a mystery and a good one, but it takes a lot of explaining and even then I doubt you'd believe me.'

We continued walking in silence. After some time the frozen water stopped falling from the sky, but by then the layer on the ground had increased by a few more centimetres. I wondered if this would effect May much, but she didn't seem too bothered, despite being smaller than me.

We walked 10, possibly 11 kilometres before May stopped. We were in a clearing.

'There is no shelter here.' I stated, feeling anger built from my earlier frustration, flow through me.

May ignored me and walked ahead a few metres. I did not follow. Hence I did not hear what she said but I saw the effects. I saw May fall as through the Earth had opened beneath her feet. She did not scream or cry out. It was as though she was expecting it.

I hurried over to where May had stood a few moments before. Sure enough there was a hole where she had stood. Not a big one in terms of width, but big enough for people to easily fall vertically through it.

'Come on.' May called from the darkness within. I pause and take one last look at the outside world. 'Dalek Sec.'

'I'm coming.' I mutter climbing through the hole into the darkness, feeling the warmer air within. I hang impossibly from the thin rim of the hole. My fingers beginning to freeze and weaken from direct contact with the frozen Dihydrogen Monoxide or water. I can't hold on for much longer, but I can't see how far the floor is.

Reluctantly I fall into the darkness. The floor had been less than a metre away. I squint, trying to see but everything is black. No sign of May. No sign of anything. Only now I notice a rope ladder descending from the hole above.

This is the place that May called refuge? I hear the sound of ancient cogs turning, the hole above disappears as though it was never there. I stand alone in the darkness. Sightless. Where was May?


	5. The Caverns

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p><em>Late in the day of December 6<em>_th__ 1930A.D_

_After Dalek Sec had finally let go of the entrance, I set the mechanism to work. Old, basic, but efficient. This was how this refuge stayed hidden from the outside world. When I was satisfied that it had finished its work, I headed automatically along the tunnel to a large, circular cavern, placing the wood in a corner and carefully laying aside all that I had carried._

_I put some of the wood in the middle of the cavern. I held my hand above it and willed it to light, which it did within seconds. I turned to see that Dalek Sec had not followed; I would have to look for him again._

_I headed back the way I came and saw him standing where he had landed, looking around. Why hadn't he moved? I set alight a wooden torch strapped to the side of the tunnel with the same skill I had used on the fire. He saw it and came over._

'I thought you'd gone.' _He told me._

'I had, when I realised you hadn't followed I came looking.' _I answered, walking back towards the cavern._

'You could see in the dark?'

'Just about. But that I don't really need to, I know this place well enough.'

_Dalek Sec sat by the fire, taking of his cloak and putting it next to him. I take mine out of the bag, still wet from the snow, so I placed it by the fire to dry. We sat in silence for a few hours._

'It's warm down here.' _He noted._

'Aye. The temperature rarely changes.'

'Were you headed here all along?'

'No, not originally. But I made the decision, to come here, a few days ago. You woke up sooner than I expected.'

'Is that a good thing?'

_I ponder the question, for a while. Dalek Sec didn't seem to mind if I didn't answer immediately, which confused me._ 'I don't know.' _I say staring into space._

'What makes you say that?'

'Endless possibility.' _I answer, my mind exploring various what if scenarios that could have happened over the last 36 hours. Finally I stretched out across the floor and fell asleep._

_I awoke suddenly from sleep. I spot Dalek Sec nearby._ 'You've been asleep for a long time.' _He told me._

'How long?'

'Almost a day.'

_I nod still tired, but wondering what had woken me._

'We're out of water, and food is in short supply.'

_I nod again_. 'I think some new cloths are in order as well.' _I add seeing that he still wore the same suit as the one in the theatre. I studied Dalek Sec for a moment considering what size clothes he wore._

'But where?' _He asked._

_I_ _was glad to hear him ask. I knew that he had not left the cavern._ 'Come with me.' _I said getting to my feet. I noticed him reaching for the cloak. _'You can leave that here, we're not going outside.'

_I led the way out of the cavern through a different tunnel to the one that led to the entrance. I carried a lit torch, which I lit via the fire. Knowing it was best to keep the skill hidden for the moment. _

_We walked a short way before coming to a small spring. Dalek Sec filled up the water skin before we moved on._

'So how long have you been part human?' _I asked._

'I don't know. I don't know what today is.'

'How long between being part human and getting shot in the theatre?'

'Less than 6 hours.'

'So you are about a month, 6 almost 7 days old, in this form.'_ I worked out._

'I've been thinking about how tired you were.'

'Hmm?' _I did not like the sound of this._

'You slept for a long time. Did it have anything to do with the theatre? With keeping me alive?'

_I didn't want to lie, but I didn't want to tell the truth. So I didn't answer. Because of that Dalek Sec must have known he was close to the answer. Too close._

'What did you use to transfer the energy?'

_Again I didn't answer. I didn't want to be having this conversation._

_He didn't ask anymore. Which I was glad about, though I could feel that be desperately wanted to know. Whether or not I told him, would depend on why he wanted to know. I was sure that there was more than just general curiosity behind his question. So I made a secret promise that, no matter how many times he asked, I would not tell him._

_Soon enough our silence was broken by the sound of running water. I led Dalek Sec into another cavern, with water pouring in from above us, a waterfall, falling into a lake. The cavern was not as large as the one I we had stayed in, but made up for it in height._

_Along one side shelves had been carved out of the cavern's wall. I went over to them, set the torch to rest in the sconce and picked up a large cloth (to act as a towel) and clothes which would, if I had estimated correctly, fit Dalek Sec. I placed these beside the water._

'You can wash here and get changed, before heading back. Though I advised you don't go too far into the water. It may get deeper gradually to begin with, but a few yards out there's a sudden drop.' _I told him before leaving the other way out of the cavern._

_I didn't wait to see his reaction. I think he'd guessed that I had gone to get food as well as the matter of privacy. Did Dalek Sec feel embarrassment? I wondered. If not he would soon have to learn it, or at least its moralistic worth._

_I walked down the regular passage to the store, the first opening on my left. A variety of neatly stacked foods were dried, salted and shelved inside. But I was not to gather what we needed from them yet. I went to the back of the store and uncovered a small opening and crawled through._


	6. Arguably Understandable

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>Having washed and changed I felt clean. And clean felt good.<p>

I looked at the clothes I was now wearing. Pale coloured and loosely fitted (compared with Diagoras' suit). The material was soft though it appeared to be durable. I looked at Diagoras' old clothes. Worn, dirty, but still reminded me of the man who once wore them. The ambitious man who tried everything to survive, to succeed, now dead. The man who I now wore.

I felt guilt again, and sat on the floor. I still did not know how to react. I looked at the water as suicidal thoughts entered my head once again. I was tempted. It would be so easy. But I remembered May. I would be away from her, but how would she react? She had saved my life, twice. I knew she would attempt a third and possibly many more should the situation arise. She knew what I was attempting to do back in the forest and had come in time though she was far away. And now she was not so far, and she could come back at any moment. I concluded that there was no point in trying. Not now.

I sat in thought for a while. Still pondering many questions, most were about May. And then I wondered whether humans asked questions a lot. As a Dalek I can't remember ever having so many questions. I either didn't care or there was little (if anything) to question. But then again a Dalek would never have ended up in this situation, nor anything like it. So this is me, I thought, I don't belong anywhere or any when, I am not Dalek, I am not human, I have no purpose. Though many questions.

'You not heading back to camp?' May asked, startling me. She stood behind me. Why are you always so strangely quiet?

'Do you ever find that you have more questions than answers?' I asked.

'Sometimes.'

'And what do you do?'

'It depends on what the questions are and who's around at the time.'

I nodded, though I didn't completely understand.

'Do you want me to wash those?' She asked pointing at Diagoras' clothes.

'Would it make much difference?'

She thought for a moment. 'They may be needed yet.'

'What for?'

'For looking the part in human society at the current time.'

'I thought we weren't going back to New York.'

'Not necessarily New York. But it is a future possibility.'

'I think I'll need a lot more than just clothes.'

May shrugged. 'We'll decide later.' I don't think she meant anytime within the next few days or even months. 'Come on.'

I stood up and followed May back to the camp. We left Diagoras' clothes behind. I noticed that again May led the way and was carrying everything.

'How did you revive me?'

May didn't answer. This time I lost my patience. 'Tell me May.'

She still didn't answer.

'Well what did you use?'

May stopped, but didn't turn to face me. 'Why are you so keen to know?' She asked her voice sounded dangerously quiet.

'Curiosity.' I answered cautiously.

'But it goes deeper than that, doesn't it?' She turned, raising her voice. 'What are you planning? In that head of yours, there have been many dark secrets and ideas. So, Dalek Sec, what's inside it now?'

'Many things I can't understand.' I was honest, I don't think it that meant anything to her, as I don't think she believed me.

May was silent. Her glare had returned. I stared back at her, this time I refused to give in. Many rels passed and nothing changed. I wondered what had happened to this girl who had once been so obedient. What had made her change so dramatically?

The battle of staring continued. I knew in my mind that two hours had passed. Two hours of intense silence. Throughout it had been impossible to think of something other than May. I wondered how much longer she would last. She would submit. She had to.

I saw it in her face. I hadn't noticed it before. How tired she was. She had slept for a long time, but even when she had woken up she was still tired. And it showed now. Simply being awake drained her. I knew that she had gotten so tired from one thing and one thing only. And that was reviving me back in the theatre. There was no other explanation.

May swooned and fell onto the floor. Dropping all that she was carrying, including the torch which went out. I had won. I was dominant. But that didn't feel right, it didn't feel good. I was in the dark. I was experiencing guilt once again. I had forced May into submission, I should have submitted. If I had then no harm would have been done.

I knelt next to her and hoped that I had not damaged her. I wasn't sure what to do to. I picked her up. She was surprisingly light. And started to carry her back to camp.

I stumbled a few times. I stopped and thought carefully. I couldn't see properly but I had to carry on. I then came up with an idea. Eco-location. By producing a sound and waiting to hear it after bouncing off of an object, you could calculate how far away the object was. Easy. I clicked my tongue every rel or two and carried on walking in the dark, without hitting anything.

May came to a few times whilst I was carrying her, but generally fell back into unconsciousness after a few rels.

I entered the main cavern. The camp fire had burnt out, but the ashes were still warm. I could easily re-light it, later. I laid May down on one of the furs before going back to collect the food and wood that she had dropped.

May was still unconscious when I returned. I re-lit the fire using the hot ashes and friction. I was glad of the light, having got tired of Eco-location. I turned my attention to May. She seemed to be asleep now rather than anything else. She looked so pale, weak and fragile. 'I'm sorry.' I told her, I doubted she'd hear me. Sorry? I had never openly admitted regret before. I'd felt it, and people could see that I was feeling it, but I had never verbally admitted it. Not like this.

I started cooking some food. Rice again. But it stayed hard and burnt. I remembered that I had not seen May eat. How long had she been without a meal? And why?

'You need to boil it.' May had woken up. 'Cook it in water.' She sounded as weak as she looked. She did not attempt to get up.

I tried cooking again, and did as May instructed. The rice was no longer hard, and I hadn't burnt it. Success. I took two small plates from the bag, and put the rice on them. I then turned to May, and lifted her into a sit.

'When was the last time you had something to eat?' May didn't answer, not verbally. She looked at me in the eye and I knew the answer. Or a good enough equivalent. I predicted that May hadn't eaten in at least a week. No wonder she was so weak. The question that plagued my mind was why? What would she have to gain from starving herself?

She leant against me. I knew she was too weak to support herself. I helped her to eat and drink. I didn't say anything to her. I think it would be best if I stayed quiet. Before long she had fallen asleep again. I sighed. What had I done? Some thought at the back of my mind told me that if I wanted to die, then now was the time. May wouldn't be able to stop me. I silenced that thought. If I went to die then May would certainly die. I won't let that happen.

I tended May for the next few days. We didn't speak. There was nothing to say.


	7. Storys

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

_Sometime in the day of December 10th 1930AD_

_I regretted pushing myself so far a few days ago. I knew that Dalek Sec had taken responsibility for what had happened. I had heard him apologise. Hearing is the last sense to go when you fall unconscious and hence the first to return when you start to come to._

_It was dark when I woke up today. Dalek Sec had rationed the fire wood I had collected from the stores. Only adding enough to the fire to cook, the rest of the time he let the flames run low._

_I now had the strength to support myself so I sat up. I wondered where Dalek Sec was in the dark. I knew he sometimes left to get water. I had heard him click his tongue in order to find his way, for some reason he did not light any of the wood. I thought this was probably because there was so little of it at first, but now I'm not so sure._

_I listened to hear him, about a third of the way down the tunnel and getting closer. I knew he had tended me out of guilt, but I wondered whether there was something else as well. Had he really changed and decided against his Dalek ideals? I thought back to the theatre. The Doctor had called him the cleverest Dalek ever, seemingly out of respect as well as fact. And then there had been Dalek Sec's words 'If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you.' And his actions to protect the Doctor..._

'You should not have got up.' _Dalek Sec stated as he came over and sat next to me. The first words I had heard him say in a few days. _'Where can I gather more wood and food?' _He asked. I was glad that he asked as this meant that he had not tried to explore the caves._

'I'll show you.' _I told him, before trying to stand. He held me back, before I strained myself in the attempt._

'You are not going anywhere.'

_I leant against him. Any extra energy I had woken up with seemed to have disappeared. He held the water skin to my lips and helped me to drink._

_We sat in silence for a while. When I started to fall asleep, Dalek Sec gently laid me back down. I slept for a few hours before waking up again._

'Dalek Sec.' _I called._

'I'm here.'_ He said, lifting me up so that I leant on him again. _'Do you still want to know how you were revived?' _I asked. I felt that I owed him that knowledge in some way._

'It doesn't matter.' _He told me, though I knew that he still wanted to know._

'Shadow energy.'

'Hmm?'

'Or at least that's the name I heard it under. It's not really energy, more of a force or power left over from a previous universe. Under the right circumstances it can be activated and used. The Carrionites, Rutans, even the odd astrologist, and such like have scratched the surface of it a few times. Humans have given it names like magic, sorcery-' _Dalek Sec cut me off._

'Why are you telling me this May?'

_I hesitated. _'I don't know.' _I eventually told him._

'And why starve yourself? Surely you know that to use this...Shadow energy you would need a transfer of you own.'

_I wasn't sure how to answer. I thought for a while about how I should tell him. _'You are not necessarily the only person who wants to go where there is no pain.'

'You wish to die?' _He sounded surprised at this. _'I'm not sure I understand your reasons as to why.'

_I decided against answering that. I started to fall asleep again._

'May. I need to know where I can find-'

'In the stores, first turning to the left after the cavern with the lake.'

_I laid down on the fur to sleep and I heard him start to go. _'Dalek Sec, don't go too far. Whatever you do, don't go anywhere else. Can I trust you on that?'

'Yes. Can you stop calling me Dalek Sec?'

'Then what do I call you?'

'I'll think of something.'

_I heard him leave the cavern, and fell asleep._

_Early in December 11th 1930AD_

_I heard the fire crackling. I knew that the stores had been found. Seeing the cavern in the light gave the illusion that it was bigger than it had been in the dark._

'I see you found the stores ok.'

'Yes.' _Was all he said, I turned to see that he was cooking some more rice again. He scowled at me when I attempted to sit up on my own accord, so I stayed down._

'Have you thought of a suitable identity yet?'

'Yes. Sec. Just Sec, nothing more.'

'Nothing less.' _He frowned not understanding the comment. _'It's a quote: nothing more, nothing less. Though I'm not entirely sure where it comes from.'

_He seemed distracted. Deep in thought._

'It'll burn.'

_He looked up clueless._

'The rice.' _I laughed softly as he quickly removed the rice from the fire. I realised this was the first time I had laughed in a while._

_I watched as he then divided it into two bowls, and came over to me with one. I know he would help me and then eat his later._

_I was amazed at his care. I knew I would never forget his kindness to me, both now and back when we were faced with the blizzard. I wondered whether it had become an instinct. His human side. Or if he had learnt it. Perhaps the Doctor had something to do with it?_

'I never asked.' _I started as Sec turned to his own bowl. _'What was actually going on in New York?'

_He looked away, in troubled thought. _'Are you sure you want to know?'

_I nodded._ 'I'm not faint hearted.'

'True... We, the cult of Skaro, were experimenting, with humans.' _He paused_

_I said nothing. He could see that I wasn't deterred by the vague answer. I knew he didn't want to continue but I deemed the information important._

_He sighed, before slowly continuing. _'We actually started by trying to re-build the Dalek race. But none of the embryo's survived. And so we gathered humans from New York. Some were a work force the others we stripped them of everything that they were, in preparation for the final experiment. We used a gamma strike that was due to hit the empire state building-'

'To merge Dalek and Human DNA, creating the Dalek-Humans.'

_He looked surprised at my comment._

'I can work some things out on my own easily enough. So the Doctor, who I presume was unable to stop the process, got in the way of the strike adding his DNA giving an edge of freedom. Etcetera. But there's you. A template?'

'Originally. I wanted to change the DNA sequence to make the Dalek-Humans more Human, with the Doctor's help. As a result the cult rebelled, changing the sequence to 100-Dalek. I was put in chains, whereas the Doctor escaped.'

_I nodded._ 'How did you ended up in 1930's New York?'

'Emergency Temporal Shift from the battle of Canary Warf.'

_I raised an eyebrow._

'This is going to be a long story._' He warned. I didn't mind._ 'The Cult of Skaro escaped the Time War through a Void Ship. We eventually tore through to 21st century London, Canary Warf the home of Torchwood 1...'

_I listened to the story with interest. I noticed than a cloud of guilt appeared to hang over him as he spoke. It appeared that Sec was firmly against his previous Dalek ideals and was now inwardly suffering the consequences of his actions._

'And what about you?'

'What about me?'

'Firstly how did you get escape the Time War?'

'As you know the Time Lords invaded, so I was no longer under your control. But I didn't know how to react to them. So I hid. Stowed away on an unlocked TARDIS. Don't know who's, but it flew to another planet, what it was called I also don't know. But there was a battle there. I think that their planet was caught in a crossfire, not that the locals were playing an active role in the war.' _I explained. Sec remained quiet while I continued._

'I stowed away on another ship, belonging to the local inhabitants. Only a small crew they were escaping the battle. Their ship was shot, there were explosions everywhere but the ship was not destroyed. The crew died because of the shot and the explosions that followed. A few died from the initial impact of the shot but the rest, the majority of them, died from their injuries. I didn't know how to help them. Or even to help them.' _I felt both saddened and guilty at that._

'The ship wasn't tracked or chased, it was just left to float in space. Eventually it was salvaged by someone not involved in the conflict. I stayed hidden on their ship. I continued as a stowaway on many ships, changing ship whenever they landed. I guess that's how I got away.'

'When did you stop stowing away?'

'When I was discovered.'

'And what happened?'

'The ship was part of the slave trade in the Amfonus galaxy. You can imagine what happened next.'

_Sec nodded slowly. _'How did you get out? And how did you get to Earth?'

'Long story. That took an age and more.' _I saw Sec examine me as though to work out how literal I was being._ 'I had many owners as a slave and a vast range of duties during that time.' _Thus confirming that when I said an age I meant an age, no less._ 'Eventually I ended up on the streets of the city Hevtinrop on Cascoono. I was adopted by a family there. They had a family business that was a bit like a private detective agency. I was put to work there as well. After a while there was a case in which three agents were deployed to 21st century Earth. I was one of them.'

'21st century?'

'Aye. I won't go into the details of the case. One of the agents was killed. I don't know what happened to the other. I was thought dead, but actually ended up on a military base specialising in aliens. Not UNIT or Torchwood but something similar. I got there because of a teleport that they were experimenting with. Anyway, years later they came across a time agent's wrist strap and I was their test subject. Ended up in Earth's Upper Paleolithic Era, about ten thousand years ago. I kept away from the humans, and lived by myself for a while. I haven't travelled in time since and so here I am.'

'And the wrist strap?'

'I destroyed it at the first opportunity.'

'Because you didn't know how to use it and you didn't want it to get into the wrong hands.'

'I didn't want it to get into the wrong hands, but don't assume that I couldn't use it.' _I told him sharply._ 'I may have been the lowest of the low, but that doesn't mean I learnt nothing and gained no knowledge.' _I checked my tone of voice and softened a bit. _'I constantly listened. Both for summons and work but also to learn.'

'So you could have travelled anywhere, any when.'

'Aye.'

'Then why didn't you?'

'Because I didn't want to. I was free, more than I had ever been before.'

_Sec was in quiet thought and had no instant questions. I was also deep in thought. I realised that, even though I was being brief, I had never told anyone more about myself before. Not even Camru. Did I really trust Sec that much? I was slightly concerned, but I let it go._

'What did you so to pass the time?' _Sec asked after a while._

_I smiled. _'I had a few adventures. Met Camru's people. I observed a few historic events, but I felt I had no real purpose.'

'And you still feel like that. And then Camru set you a task, to save me. And that reminded you of your past suffering. And because of those combined reasons you decided to die.'

'Aye.' _I said sadly. Silence filled the room as we contemplated all that had been said. I been awake for many hours before tiredness overcame me and I fell asleep._


	8. The long wait

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>I watched May fall back asleep. She was recovering. Having managed to stay awake for so long, I knew that within a few days she would be up as though she had never been ill of health.<p>

Her story was interesting, though it pained me that she had been through so much, and it was now, when she was free, that she attempted to die.

I glanced over to May. She was still asleep. Out of boredom, I lit a torch (there were lots of them in the store), and walked down to the lake. I had washed Diagoras' clothes and laid then out to dry earlier. They were still wet, so I left them. I still do not wish to keep them, but I understood May's reasoning.

I wandered out of the cavern, along a tunnel and into the store. I often wondered what else was down here. But I had been against going, regardless of my curiosity and the obvious temptation. May had warned me against it and I knew she wouldn't have done so without good reason, so I refused myself to follow the tunnel further.

The store did not seem like a big place when you entered it. Everything was shelved and packed in close giving it that illusion. I wandered around it inspecting everything that was there. There were various dried foods and grains, but I had considered it wise to stick to what I knew, even if rice was starting to get boring.

There were large stacks of firewood, and the torches were shelved nearby. There were other items that were also stacked and shelved. Most items were made from wood, such as long folded tables and benches. There were also various clothing materials, folded but not shaped on some of the shelves, including fur, wool, various plant fibres and even a small amount of silk. I was not surprised to see that there was nothing artificial or synthetic. There were other items that I could not name.

I picked one up experimentally, wondering what it's purpose was. It had a hollow wooden structure which weakened the item so that is would easily break. There were four strings of different tensions attached along the top. The whole item was only slightly longer than my forearm. I put the item back and examined another.

This had a different structure. Smooth carved wood (not hollow) shaped to hold many strings at different lengths and tensions. The strings themselves varied in thickness. I ran a finger along the strings experimentally. They produced a sound. I noticed that the pitches varied according to the strings length, tension and thickness. I moved on to the next item.

This item was a lot bigger. A wide hollow tube-like wooden structure, although the wood was thicker than the first item's, making this it a lot stronger, and heavier. There was animal skin stretched along the top, I tapped it. It produced an amplified sound. Was that the purpose of all these items. Sound? Noise? Unlike everything else in the store I could not see the practical use of these items. They were pointless.

Then I remembered something the Doctor had said about the strange device he had brought into the Transgenetic Lab. The radio. It had held a small amount of interest to me at the time though not for long as I was presented with other, more important matters.

* * *

><p>'What is the purpose of that device?'<p>

'Well exactly, it plays music.' Came the Doctor's sharp reply. 'What's the point of that?' A rhetorical question - perhaps.

The Doctor's expression softens and his tone of voice changes. 'With music you can dance to it...Sing with it...Fall in love to it.'

Then the Doctor's previous tone returns. 'Unless you're a Dalek of course, then it's all just noise!' And then, using his sonic screwdriver, he activated the radio so that it produced a painfully loud, high pitched sound. Before running, with the humans, out of the Transgenetic Lab.

* * *

><p>Not only radios could play music - that was obvious. But I was still unsure what music meant. I knew it must have an entertainment value as well as an emotional effect on humans and other species. I wondered why. A form of emotional manipulation? Stirring some feelings but not others, thus provoking certain responses. But has to be more to it than that. Isn't there? What else? And Why?<p>

I sighed and left the stores, I couldn't understand this on my own. I walked slowly back to the cavern where May slept. Still a child in appearance though her years outnumbered the Doctor's many times over. Even though her past held a haunting cloud of guilt over me, I had started to like being around her. That was also something I struggled to explain.

I sat near May, and stared at the fire. I started to draw patterns in the ash of the fire with my hand. Absent-mindedly to begin with, but gaining more of my attention as I went on. Occasionally I got too close to the fire and burnt myself.

'Arkellis?' May asked, startling me. I noted that she had sat up on her own accord.

'Yes.' I answered, continuing with the drawing of the extinct flower.

'Did you ever see one?'

'Only database images.'

May nodded. 'Always a strange plant that one. Pretty, but it had some odd properties making it useful. I guess that's what led it to its extinction.'

'That and it couldn't adapt to the amount of radiation on Skaro during the Thousand Year War.' I paused and frowned. 'How do you know about them anyway?'

'I listen, I learn.' May smiled. 'And occasionally I hack into databases, regardless of whom they belong to.'

'But you never had access to a Dalek database.'

'I didn't need to. The Timelord's TARDIS had a record of them.'

'What is the point of music?' I asked, brushing the ash off my hands.

'The point of music? That's an odd question...' May thought hard. 'Very similar to asking what the point of art and creativity is...' She said referring the ash Arkellis '...Different music genre's and styles have different purposes, so describing music as a whole is rather difficult. I don't think I can give you an accurate answer. I guess you'll have to wait until the 25th and then you can make your own judgement.'

'25th of December?' I asked. I was sure that date was important to Earth, or at least in Earth's more recent years.

'Aye. There'll be a celebration on that day down here.'

'You mean there'll be people here.'

'Aye.'

'But I'm not... I can't... Humans...they'll react in an unpredictable manner.'

'There not human and they'll accept you if that's what you're worried about. Honestly they won't care what you look like.'

'If there not human, then who are they? If they know what I am then surely they'll attempt to kill me.'

May laughed, which surprised me. 'They're Aelfen. Camru's people. They live on Earth always have, though often in secluded areas away from humans. Or at least since the start of the witch hunts anyway.'

The Doctor had said that there wouldn't be enough room on Earth for a second race. 'I was unaware that there was another race of people on Earth.' I stated. 'But living in secluded areas or not, they can't avoid humans their whole lives.'

'Just as well they don't look too different besides there are many ways to disguise yourself – both simple and complex.' I guessed May was referring to technological advances such as shimmers and cloaking devices.

'Are these the people who taught you about Shadow energy?'

May nodded. 'Aye. They gather every 10 years, in places like this on Christmas day.'

Christmas day? I presumed that was the famous Earth celebration that took place of the 25th of December. 'Why not every year?'

'The Aelfen only celebrate the coming of each decade, not each New Year. And they celebrate on the 25th of December of the human calendar rather than the 1st of January.' May explained. 'Oh, slight problem. Conversations will be difficult. Only a few of them will be able to speak a few phrases of human languages.'

I was about to enforce the fact that I knew most languages spoken throughout the universe (should I be found without a translator) when I remembered that I didn't know these people existed until a few moments ago. Therefore it was possible that I didn't speak their language.

I was unsure whether I should be looking forward to this celebration. Either way I knew that day was going to come. I should prepare for it.

'Do you have a record of their language?'

May shook her head. 'There is no record which compares their language to another. And I cannot teach you the language.'

Cannot? I wondered what she meant by that. Surely May knew the language and so she should technically be able to teach it.

'It is not my place.' May explained when I asked her. I sighed and decided I was bored and so I continued drawing in the ash.


	9. Hiding

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

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><p><em>The next few days had passed without much event. I had recovered well, although Sec was always keeping an eye on me and never leaving my side when I was awake. Which I found irritating, but decided it would be better to put up with it for now.<em>

_I had explained the traditional Christmas story to Sec several times over. Apparently it wasn't a very clear story, and there were too many contradictions. I had also explained that I was too busy in Celtic Britain to observe the shaping of the New Testament._

_Since ash drawings were now popular. I had drawn out a brief map in the ash of the rest of the caves. I had pointed out that there were several areas that Sec could not enter under any circumstances, though I refused to explain why. I had also kept the store entrance and the cave that it led to secret, not through my choice._

_Towards the end of December 23__rd__ 1930AD_

_I was awoken by Sec. _'There are other people here.'_ He hissed_. 'I can hear them coming.'

'There will always be some that come a day early to set up.'_ I explained, not for the first time. Though I knew he was still worried about meeting other people. I sighed. _'Alright, come on.'

_I led him out of the cavern just as a small group of Aelfen skipped in. They raised a hand in greeting. I returned it. Sec hid in the shadows. We left the Aelfen and ended up by the workshop (opposite the stores)._

_The caverns were always at a constant of about 77 __̊__F (25 ̊ C), or as Sec would put it 298.15K, making the workshop, due to the forge within, the only place within refuge that ever dramatically changed temperature. _

'Are you sure that staying down here is a good idea?' _Sec asked._

'Would you rather go outside and freeze?' _I retorted, placing a small iron ingot in the newly lit forge. _'Besides it'll be an education for you.'

'And if I make a mistake?'

'They won't mind.'_ Admittedly I wasn't paying him my full attention, as I worked the bellows to heat the metal._

'What are you making?'

'Something that can produce a clear holographic image.'

'The level of precision needed cannot be gained from this technique.' _He stated._

_I smiled, so much left to learn. _'I need the iron to be workable. I'll work out the rest later.' _I wasn't going to say much more._

_A few minutes passed. Sec had lost interest in what I was doing. He was now hovering around by the forge's entrance, keeping an eye on the Aelfen as they went in and out of the stores. Still determined not to be seen by them at the same time._

_I checked on the Iron, almost molten, just another minute. _'They know your here.' _I told Sec as he ducked out of view of the entrance, again._

'Even so I'd rather not be seen.'

_I laughed, quietly._

'What?'

'You're going to have to meet them eventually.' _I told him. _'You might as well do it now while there's only a few of them around. I need some soft leather from the stores anyway.'

_He gave me a look. Which only succeeded in making me smile. _'Go on.' _I told him. He sighed, hesitated and then left._

_I hurriedly collected the molten iron out of the hearth. Sec was right, you couldn't get the right precision I needed from a workshop such as this, ordinarily. I slowly poured the molten iron out over a table, as I started to pour the iron instantly cooled allowing it to form a long, thin wire._

_I stepped back and let it cool for a few seconds. Satisfied it was cool enough I coiled the wire, checking it was flexible enough to work with and left it on the table. I needed a suitable insulating varnish. I scanned the workshop, I knew there would be none in the stores. There was no varnish pre-made but the right ingredients were around._

_I heard Sec enter at a fast pace._ 'I told you that you might as well meet the Aelfen, not avoid them.' _I told him in a mock-scolding tone. He looked at me confused. _'Never mind.' _I muttered, within earshot._

'Thanks.' _I said as I took the leather off him. I only needed a little bit, not a whole cow's worth. In the future I must remember to specify the amount._

'Did you make that?' _Sec asked, examining the coil of wire._

'Aye.' _I said_ 'It's cool.'

_Sec picked up the coil. _'But how? There's none of the right equipment here.'

'Use your imagination Sec.'

_He put the coil down, and started scanning the workshops for clues._

_I'll finish work later, I thought putting the leather down. _'Come on.' _I took his wrist and led him out of the stores._

'Are you absolutely sure about this?' _He asked. _

'Aye.' _I answered. I was sure I could hear an element of nervousness or fear in his voice. Though I doubted he would openly admit it. The sooner he learnt how accepting the Aelfen were the better._

_Not a moment later we came face to face with Deverell, one of the Aelfen, who was coming the opposite way._


	10. Limitations

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

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><p>I looked at the Aelfen in front of us. He seemed to be in an excitable state, which didn't change went he saw me. I took in his appearance. He appeared to be indistinguishable from Humans. He was in his youth, brown eyed, long ginger hair that was tucked neatly behind... Then I noticed what made these people visibly different from Humans. The ears, larger and more triangular.<p>

I think May recognised him. 'Deverell. Mitunei Sec.' She said.

'Halel yns Sec.' He replied.

'Umm...' I said clueless. I was aware that he was addressing me but I had no idea as to how to reply.

'He says it's good to meet you.' May explained.

'Can you tell him it's good to meet him as well?' I asked not sure what else to say.

'Sure.' May turned to him. 'Sec ena halel yns ut.' I guessed that, Halel yns, meant good to meet you or some equivalent. May continued her conversation with him. 'Bray thilun custuil haveene.'

'Essylt stuil ene.'

'Fe Camru.'

'Vay.'

May nodded, and we went on our way back towards the main cavern. I saw the Aelfen that we met skipping down the way we had come.

'Well what are you currently thinking?' May asked.

'He didn't seem to notice that I was... so different.' Eventually finding the right words.

May laughed. I noticed she laughed a lot more lately. That was good, it meant that she was happier. 'Deverell said that Essylt was here.'

'Do you know Essylt?'

'Not completely, but I know that she speaks German, can't say how fluent, but you should be able to hold a conversation with her.'

I nodded. I had learnt most languages spoken on Earth, including all of the European ones. Or all the languages in the area that would become Europe, I reminded myself, the currently EU didn't exist. 'You mentioned Camru.'

'Aye, I wondered if she was here. She isn't.' There was disappointment in May's tone.

We entered the main cavern, where we had been less than 6 hours ago. I saw the place was a lit with torches held in stands placed against the walls. I had not seen the place lit so well before and had not noticed the Cavern's grandeur. It held a sense of modest awe in its plain and simple high ceilinged structure.

There were less than 10 Aelfen in the cavern, they were either putting up the foldable tables or placing items on them. There was a large amount of variety between the individual Aelfen, but I noticed none of them appeared particularly old. I wondered if they were one of the species that stopped growing old at a certain age. I heard them humming. A lively rhythm, i wondered what it meant.

I spotted May already among them, speaking to one of the females. I guessed that was Essylt. I went over to them. May hurriedly finished their conversation before I was within earshot.

'Right I'll leave you with her, I need to finish something.' May told me, leaving before I got the chance to ask what she meant.

'Hallo. Ich hieβe Essylt.' Said the Aelfen.

'Hallo. Ich Hieβe Sec.' I replied, though I suspected she already knew my name. I wondered what may was in such a hurry to get back to. For some reason I doubted that it was not the wire that she had made or the holographic projector that she had mentioned.

I assisted Essylt with her tasks. We didn't hold much of a conversation, only speaking instructions to one another in order to complete the tasks. I noticed Essylt's excitement as she hummed along with the rest of the Aelfen. And that both of us had an equally bad German accent. No matter, we could communicate and that was all that we needed.

A few hours passed. I was tiring. I could feel that lack of strength and energy within my body. I was slightly out of breath and maybe the room did feel like it was spinning, but that was all. I didn't mind the tasks, I could keep working. I just wished that we could have a break and get rid of these irritating sensations. I wanted to see May. Gah, stupid Human emotions, I can't understand them. I had a deep longing to see her. I think that meant that I missed her. Why was that? She hadn't been gone long.

Essylt stopped and looked me in the eye with concern. 'Wie geht es Ihnen?' She asked.

I'm fine. 'Es geht.' I replied. She didn't seem to believe me. 'Alles ist in Ordnung.' Everything is fine, I told her.

'Was ist los?' What's the matter? She asked.

I gave in. 'Ich weiβ nicht.' I don't know, I told her. She told me to wait before running off. I guessed she had gone to get May. There was no need, but she had already gone. I could keep working; I only needed a small break. There was no need. I'm strong. I can't be seen to be weak. I'm not weak.

I blinked, the spinning had increased slightly, but I could cope. Another of the Aelfen was at my side. I didn't know his name. I felt him move to support me. Before I knew it he was bearing most of my weight and helping me to sit. My vision started to blur. It would pass, it had to. I could see what the Aelfen was doing but I guessed that he was examining me. I strained my hearing, I was sure he was saying something but to who or what I didn't know. Not that it mattered I wouldn't have been able to translate it anyway. All that I could hear was that the Aelfen's humming had stopped.

'Sec, I'm here. What happened?' May's voice broke through. She was fast, I hadn't expected her to get here so fast. It was good to know that she was here.

'I'm fine.' I protested. 'I just need a moment.' There is no reason why I should be anything other than fine, therefore I am fine. That is what I am meant to be.

'You need rest.' May stated, she was concerned but not worried. 'Sleep.' I realised that was an order. May was ordering me?

'No. I need to...to...' What did I need to do?

'Go to sleep.' She told me again, this time her tone was different. I could have easily confused it with begging. Should I submit? I trusted May, I knew that. She would not offer this option unless it was in my best interest.

I tried to consider my options, but I couldn't process them. Nothing was clear in my mind. I realised I was struggling to stay awake.

I stopped fighting and let myself slip into unconsciousness.


	11. Keeping the Secret

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

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><p><em>Mid-day of December 24<em>_th__ 1930AD_

_We had moved Sec to a quieter place in refuge, further along the tunnel that led was connected to the stores and other rooms. Essylt had stayed with me for a while, I had told her several times that she had done nothing wrong. Eventually she accepted that and went back to work. I stayed by Sec. _

_He stirred and opened his eye. He frowned, trying to remember what had happened._

'How do you feel?'_I asked._

'Better than before.'

'Here, drink this.'

_He did as he was told. I saw the reaction on his face._

'It is a bit sour, but it'll help you to recover some of your strength.'

'I don't understand. What happened?'

'You're not yet used to your body.' _I explained. _'You don't know your limits nor how far you can push them. Hence you didn't know that you were exhausting yourself.'

'But I haven't done before.'

'You've never come across a situation like this before. You were tried from waking up so early, then hiding away from the Aelfen for a while and then helping set up. That's a lot of physical activity. Make sure you don't do too much today.'

'Where were you?'

_I looked away. I couldn't tell him. I wasn't allowed. I could feel him looking intently at me. _'I can't tell you.' _I said quietly. It was all I was allowed to say. I glanced back at him. I could see he was disappointed. He wanted to know more, but at the same time he understood that I could say no more._

_We heard someone call my name. I sighed. _'Abri stuil.' _I'm here. I called back. _'Sorry about this.' _I told Sec._

'I don't mind.'

_I smiled, and turned to see who had been calling me. _'Camru!' _I yelled and ran to embrace her. Sec stood up and made his way over. I release my grip on the seer, when I saw her looked at me with bewilderment. I guess seer's see most things but not everything._

'Sec?' _She asked. _

_Sec nodded. _'Halel yns Camru.' _He was learning fast._

'Hal mitun yanvus.' _She replied. Sec looked at me confused, he hadn't expected that reply._

'She said basically the same thing back, just in a posh way. Well done.' _Sec nodded and smiled._

_Camru then turned her attention to me. _'Onyer di el nammunes ger mansi.' _I didn't like it when she spoke to me in that tone. It never meant anything good._

'Tuslas.' _I tried to keep up the same energy and level of happiness I had only a moment ago. I didn't want Sec to know exactly what I was feeling._

_Camru turned and left without another word._

'What was that about?' _Sec asked, when Camru was out of earshot. He hadn't missed a thing._

_I sighed. _'She wants to talk to me about something serious.'

'Just because it's serious doesn't mean it's a bad thing.'

'It does when you're talking to Camru.'

'She's seen something?'

'Probably.' _It was rarely anything else. The main concern for me was what had see seen? _'It's obviously not of eminent importance or she would have told me immediately.' _I explained to Sec and also to silence some of my worries._

'Is she always that calm?' _It didn't take long for me to realise what he meant._

'Aye. She doesn't get as excited as the other Aelfen, because she's already experienced all that's going to happen. It's the curse of being a seer.'

'Is there a routine to the celebration that I should know about?' _Sec asked. I sensed he was deliberately changing the subject for my own benefit._

'No, not really. They'll play music, dance, eat, there'll be entertainment later during the evening.'

'Entertainment?'

'Singing, storytelling.' _I explained. Then I groaned when I remembered what that meant._

'What?'

'I just remembered they want me to sing.'

'Will you?'

_I nodded. _'I do when I come to these celebrations, but it's deciding what to sing that's a problem.'

'Well don't ask me for advice, I don't know any songs.'

'True, at the moment... I'll think about it nearer the time.'

_We sat quietly for a bit. I mentally listed all of the jobs I needed to do. I had to finish my work. I decided I should let Essylt know that Sec was ok first and then I ort to talk to Camru. If I was to get more jobs, then I'd want to know about them sooner rather than later. That way I could make sure I had enough time to complete each of them. Hopefully, I would finish before tomorrow, but I knew that I couldn't guarantee it._

_I was trying to think of a suitable excuse to leave, that wouldn't have a long string of questions and explanations attached to it._

'If you are needed elsewhere then you should go.' _Sec told me, which surprised me. I didn't know that I was that easily read._

'I'll see you later. I don't know how long I'll be. Look after yourself, my friend.' _I told him, before leaving._


	12. The Aelfen Christmas

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters nor hold rights to any one Enya's songs and I am not making any profit from writing this.

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><p>I watched May go. She had called me, my friend. I had a friend. Friendship was a concept I didn't understand. It was like an emotional alliance or link, but without written expectations or appeasements. In a sense you could abuse it, but why would you want to? I enjoyed May's company, but not when she was angry or upset with me, like she had been when I had first woken up.<p>

I knew that she was troubled by what Camru had to say, and I wondered what it was about. But as she said, if it was that important Camru would have told her then, I wouldn't be able to fully understand what they were saying anyway. I should stop worrying, I told myself, May can look after herself - she has done for thousands of years.

I wondered what to do for a while. I knew the Aelfen probably wouldn't allow me to help with preparations anymore. I slowly wandered down the tunnel in the direction May had taken only a few minutes ago.

Refuge was a different place now that the Aelfen were around. Torches were lit and maintained everywhere, filling all of the caves with light. I found myself staring across the lake at the small waterfall. For a moment I wondered how deep the water was. I wondered at things a lot more since my evolution. Everything was the same but new, changed. Having a different perception is good, I concluded.

'Hallo Sec.' I turned to see Essylt walking to my side.

'Hallo.'

'Wie geht es Ihnen?' How are you?

'Gut.' I'm good, I replied. 'Wie geht es Ihnen?' I asked.

'Ich ist gut.'

I frowned at the terminology. 'I think you mean _Ich bin gut_, I am good as opposed to _Ich ist gut_ I is good.'

Essylt frowned at me. I then remembered that Essylt didn't speak English. 'Ich _bin_ gut nicht Ich _ist_ gut.' I explained. She nodded. I didn't know if that meant she understood or if she just wanted the conversation to move on.

'Woher kommen sie?'(Where do you come from?) I asked.

'Ich kommer aus Pullhiem.'

I nodded, that was near Cologne, Germany's 4th biggest city.

'Und sie?'

'Ich kommer aus Skaro.' I said it automatically, forgetting that the name of my planet meant nothing to her.

'Wo ist Skaro?'

Where is Skaro? How do I explain that to her? I knew I could answer it, but I also knew that she wouldn't understand a word I said. 'Weit weg.' Far away, I told her.

'Wie geht es May?' How is May?

I frowned again at her terminology but decided to ignore it. 'May es geht, Ich denke.' May is fine, I think.

I noticed her looking around. I knew that, like May, she had work to do. 'Jetzt muss ich gehen.' I must go now. She said.

I nodded. 'Auf Wiedersehen.'

'Auf Wiedersehen.'

I didn't hear her leave. Her steps, like the rest of the Aelfen's, were as silent as May's. The question was had the Aelfen learnt that from May or had May learnt it from them? I recalled May's words; It's a mystery and a good one.

I took May's advice and did little that day. I woke on the morning of the 25th upon hearing the noise of the Aelfen. I could hear different devices being used to create sound, voice included. Each sound seemed to follow a pattern, a rapid pattern.

I walked into the main cavern to see what was going on. The sound got louder as I got nearer, but not unbearably so. I saw the cavern fully lit, but the torches cast different colours across the room. The Aelfen were divided into two main groups. The smaller group emitting the noise that had woken me. The other moved in a series of patterns. Music and dance?

I watched on interested. The music was repetitive, as was the Aelfen's dance. They repeated at the same rate. Then the music stopped it's pattern and took up a new one, the dancing Aelfen did the same. This happened several times.

I looked elsewhere in the cavern. The majority of the Aelfen were dancing, but the rest were seated on benches beside food laden tables, or standing along the edge of the cavern talking with each other. May was not here. Camru was also missing. I spotted both Deverell and Essylt among the dancing Aelfen. Not sure what else to do I sat down on one of the benches.

I continued to observe all that was happening around me. Absent-mindedly I was tapping lightly on the table in front of me. The pattern of the music was not hard to pick up. The more you listened to it the easier it became. All of the Aelfen were happy. I liked the music and the Aelfen's mood. It made me feel happy. And that is good. No, I corrected myself looking around, this is beautiful.

I smiled happily. I had never understood beauty or art or music before. All I knew was that I liked it. It was beautiful.

I don't know how long I sat there enjoying the scene around me. Then everyone stopped what they were doing and sat down. They seemed to sit randomly, talking to whoever they sat near. I was introduced to everyone who sat by me. None of them minded that I was different, which made me glad.

We ate together. I looked around the table seeking rice at first, before noticing that there wasn't any. As much as rice was becoming boring after living on it for nearly a month, I wasn't sure whether or not I should try anything different.

The Aelfen on my left, who had introduced himself as Thonlir, must have noticed my indecision as he then began directing me to certain foods. I followed his instructions. At first I was surprised and slightly overwhelmed by the new tastes. Admittedly not all were good. Some were far too intense for my liking. But it didn't seem to matter. The Aelfen's mood seemed to be infectious in a way. Not that I tried to be anything different, but somehow I ended up as happy as they were - Even laughing with joy, though there was no joke that I knew of.

After a while the Aelfen returned to the same activities as before. Essylt came over to me and held out her hand. I took it unsure what she meant. She pulled me out to where the dancing Aelfen were, then I realised what she had meant. 'Nein.' No, I protested, I don't know how- 'Ich weiβ nicht wie-'

Essylt cut me off. 'Sie lernen.' You'll learn.

I was confused by this, but Essylt and the other Aelfen guided me. Before long I understood the matching of movement and music. Like when I had first listened to the music was hard to begin with but got easier. I began to enjoy it, and smiled even greater than before.

After a while I began to get tired. I decided not to ignore the feeling this time, after the incident two days before. 'Ich bin müde.' I'm tired. I told Essylt next time the dance allowed us to be near enough to each other. She nodded to show that she had acknowledged and understood what I had said.

We continued dancing for another minute, until there was a pause when the music changed pattern. It was then that she led me to one of the benches. 'Danke.' I thanked Essylt, as I sat down. She nodded again and left to join the dancing Aelfen.

I saw that all of the Aelfen danced at some point. The Aelfen who made the music often gave their equipment to another group of Aelfen. Allowing them the chance to dance and rest and so on.

I observed all that was happening around me again. I couldn't help but wonder where May was and what she was doing. Why was she not here to enjoys the celebration? I let that thought sink to the back of my mind, not wanting to lessen the harmony around me.

Hours passed. I decided to dance again, but for not as long this time. Then we all sat at the tables for the second time.

I knew in my mind that it was getting late. May was still not around. I did not want her to miss any more, but there was little I could do. I had no idea where she was or what she was doing. Whatever chemicals had been in the torches to create their coloured flames had ran out. Time had also reduced the torches to a smaller flame making the cavern slightly darker.

The Aelfen did not continue with the music and dancing this time. Instead they gathered around a newly lit fire in the middle of the cavern. Not a large fire, but larger than the camp fires that May and I had ever had.

Two Aelfen stood by the fire. One played music through a small tube-like device. The other chanted and sang softly, throwing items into the fire. When he did this the fire changed shape and colour. I understood little that was being said, but I was fascinated by how the Aelfen had engineered and designed the right chemical components to create these varied shapes and colours. I guessed this was the story telling that May had mentioned.

When the two Aelfen finished they sat down and a smaller group of Aelfen fanned out around the cavern. As though a silent order had been given out they started to sing softly. As time went by I felt almost part of the singing as their voice flowed through the room. I didn't understand what was happening but I liked it. I felt completely relaxed. I closed my eye as I listened.

I felt the present time and place fade and a new one appeared. A landscape full of varied creatures and plants. Where the people lived in peace with one another, underneath a beautiful red sky. With no divisions or conflicts between them. Simple lives, but happy. There was no pollution, no wars. They did not endanger one another or the place in which they lived. They called their world home. For that was what it meant to them.

Home. Skaro. I looked at the people. They were not my ancestors, the Kaleds. But my ancestors, ancestors. A race with no official name. A race that had not been divided and then evolved into two different races, regarding each other as inferior with a deathly disgust. Before the landscape was destroyed, and the ground bled. This was how life was meant to be. This was home, or in the words of my ancestors Skaro.

The vision slowly faded away as new voice took up the song, louder and clearer than the others. I saw held in a silent awe as I listened:

_One day, one night, one moment_

_My dreams could be tomorrow_

_One step, one fall, one falter_

_East or west, over earth or by ocean_

_One way to be my journey_

_This way could be my book of days_

_Ó lá go lá, mo thuras, (From day to day, my journey)_

_an bealach fada romham. (The long road ahead of me)  
>Ó oíche go hoíche, mo thuras, (From night to night, my journey)<em>

_na scéalta nach mbeidh a choích. (The stories that will be lost forever)_

_No day, no night, no moment_

_Can hold me back from trying_

_I'll flag, I'll fall, I'll falter_

_I'll find my day may be far and away_

_Far and away_

_One day, one night, one moment_

_With a dream to believe in_

_One step, one fall, one falter_

_And a new earth across a wide ocean_

_This way became my journey_

_This day ends together_

_Far and away_

_This day end together_

_Far and away_

_Far and away_

I opened my eye to look see who had been singing. May. My mouth hung open. I had no idea that her voice could create such an amazing sound. It made sense, after all none of the Aelfen could have sung in both English and Irish Gaelic so easily. But then why sing in a language that the Aelfen could not fully understand? I knew the answer, but I didn't think it good enough. I saw that the Aelfen did not care whether or no they understood the words, which was good.

Then I wondered, if May had such a beautiful voice, why would she want to keep it secret? Why had she been irritated by the prospect of keeping it secret?

I sat stunned for longer than was perhaps normal. By the time I had recovered most of the Aelfen had gone and the cavern was being returned to its original state. I knew that May's song had been the one that ended the celebration.

I gazed around me and found May at my side.

'Are you alright?' She asked.

How do I answer that? 'No. I'm overwhelmed.'

May frowned.

Then in stupidity I asked. 'Are you a Goddess?'

'You really are not yourself if you're thinking things like that.' May laughed, adding to my humiliation.

'Here this is for you.' She gave me a strange looking device. I examined it carefully. A buckled leather strap, with carefully create circuits hidden within. 'Holographic projector.' I said, in disbelief.

'We're going on a journey, so you're going to need it.'

I looked at her, she was serious. I knew that the projection would help me blend in within Human society. 'Thank you.'

She smiled. 'Merry Christmas Sec.'

'Merry Christmas.'

* * *

><p>Merry Christmas Everyone!<p> 


	13. A long journey

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

Thx for the review Dalek Avion :)

* * *

><p><em>Morning of December 26<em>_th__ 1930AD_

_All in one night. The Aelfen had departed, the caverns had been returned to the original state, the Stores were almost completely empty of raw materials, and Sec was sleeping... somewhere. _

_I checked the clothes that he had worn when I had found him. They didn't seem particularly warm, but they weren't in need of repair and would fit in with the current Human fashion. Who did he say they belonged to? Mr Eric something...Degos? Diagrs? Diagros? Diageros? Diagoras? Diagoras. Eric Diagoras._

_I had noticed the guilt on Sec's face when he had mentioned it. I made the assumption that Diagoras was the human Sec had used to change form._

_I made sure I had gathered all that we needed, before taking the clothes and going in search of Sec. I found him awake by the lake. '_Ready?' _I asked._

'We're leaving?'

'Aye. You know we are.'

'Yes, but I wasn't expecting to leave so soon.'

'Well everything is ready.'

'You're not planning on carrying everything are you?'

_I hesitated. He noted it and scolded me. He did that a lot more recently._

'Go and divide the load.' _He told me, before asking. _'What are you going to wear?'

_I hadn't thought of that. I had got used to Aelfen fashion over the years, which was very different to that of humans._

'I'll find something.' _I muttered, giving him Diagoras' clothes. _'I'll meet you in the main cavern.' _I told him before going to the stores._

_I doubt there would be much there, but occasionally an Aelfen would add an item in case someone else needed it. For this kind of situation._

_I was in luck. Before long I was dressed in a plain dress, tights, flat shoes, a thin coat and plenty of hair pins. Cold but I would fit in. Besides we could wear the fur cloaks for some of the journey. I took a leather bag, similar to the one I had, for Sec. I then left the stores to meet him in the main cavern._

_Sec was dressed and was busy taking everything out of the bag so it could be divided: Rope (I had replaced the old one or should that be two since it had been cut in half?); Food (mainly rice again but I had added a few dried fruits); Spare clothes (Aelfen styled); Sword hilt; Quiver and bow; Bowls; Spare material; Fur cloaks plus brooches..._

'A ticket?'_ Sec asked as he pulled it out. _'RMS Empress of Australia?'

'Aye.'

'Leaves port on the morning of the 29th of December 1930 and travels from Quebec City to Southampton.'

'Aye.'

'May, Quebec City is 734km away. There's no way we'll get there in time.'

'If we walk from here to there then yes it will take longer than we have. No. We walk from here to Penn station in New York – We should get there by tomorrow evening. The train then travels for about 11 hours overnight to reach Montreal Central Station. There we change lines and end up in Quebec City 5 hours later. In total that's a full 2 day journey to the port and then a week on the Atlantic.'

'And what about train tickets, passports, immigration papers-'

'All sorted.' _I smiled, as Sec searched through the rest of the bag and found all the paperwork we needed. Yesterday really had been a hard day's work. _'So get all this packed and we better make a start.'

'Don't get smug.' _Sec muttered. I heard him, but ignored the comment._

_A few minutes later we were heading up the entrance tunnel. I set the ancient cog system to work. I noticed Sec watching curiously, attempting to work out how it worked using his own logic. I smiled. _'Go on, impress me. How does it work?' _I asked._

'Logically it shouldn't, there's no power source.'_ Sec frowned, examining the system. _'But there has to be... Are you using Shadow Energy again?'

'Aye.'

'Won't you get tired?'

'Only by a small margin. Not nearly as much as reviving someone.' _I explained. _'Come on.' _I called as I began climbing the rope ladder. Sec followed._

_It felt strange being outside after being in Refuge for so long. There was still snow on the ground, and it was colder than before. I closed the entrance to Refuge once Sec was out._

'Ready?' _I asked. Please don't find any more faults that will delay us, I thought._

_He nodded._ 'South East to New York. Actually I better make sure this works.' _He put on the Holographic projector and turned it on._

_Instantly (well as fast as light travels to be precise) Human-Dalek-Hybrid looking Sec changed to Human looking Sec. A tall man with black hair and brown eyes._

'Oh.'_ Sec said._

'Everything ok?'_ I asked, concerned._

'Yes.'

'Really?'

'Yes. I just wasn't expecting who I'd end up looking like.'

'And who's that?'

'Mr Diagoras.'

'Oh... At the moment it's set to the image you would look like if you were completely human. I can change it.'

'No. It's fine, just unexpected.'

'If you're sure.'

'I am.'

_We hesitated a moment before walking towards New York. I had started to wonder who exactly Mr Diagoras was, but I knew better than to ask. We ploughed on through the snow. I really wished I was wearing Alefen clothing, it would have been warmer. Admittedly not by much but a little bit, plus it would have been far more practical._

'Do you think he had a family?' _Sec asked after a while._

'Who?' _I asked, caught off guard._

'Mr Diagoras. Do you think he had a family?'

_I thought we had made a silent decision to forget him for the moment. _'Did he ever wear a wedding ring?'

'What would one look like?'

'Usually just a simple gold band.'

'No. Not to my knowledge.'

'Then it is unlikely that he had a wife and children. As for parents, he would have had some biologically though whether they were ever around and still are I don't know.'

_Sec nodded sadly. Please don't become suicidal again, I thought._

_After about 6 hours of walking (thank goodness both me and Sec had the stamina), we had left the forest and were following the roads – somewhere near Allendale. It was starting to get dark. I estimated the time as about 4pm._

'We should find somewhere to camp.' _I told Sec. Both of us knew that we couldn't afford to stay anywhere so we would have to camp somewhere._

'Lake Appert is nearby.' _He suggested. _'An 11minute walk from here.'

_I smiled at his accuracy. _'Sounds good.' _I was glad that Sec knew his Geography. It made my life easier; I was new to the US and had only come because of Camru. The Aelfen had travelled here a long time ago, when they had decided to spread themselves throughout the globe – Which had resulted in the building of Refuge._

_No-one had questioned mine and Sec's choice of clothing when we had come across someone (which had been rare). I assumed we looked the part. We had been colder during the last half of the day's walk due to having to pack the fur cloaks away, when we had reached the road._

_Almost exactly 11 minutes later we reached Lake Appert. There was no-one nearby. We settled down on the one of the banks, filled the water skin, started a camp fire and wrapped up in the fur cloaks._


	14. Irritants

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>It was good to be up close to the fire. The night was cold. I pulled the fur cloak a little closer to me. There was less snow (as May called it) here. It was around but not nearly as deep as it had been within the forest.<p>

May was cooking. I was starting to severely dislike rice, but at least it was food and it would preserve for a long time if need be.

'Why were you against singing?' I asked, remembering May's reaction.

She looked up from the fire slightly surprised. 'Well...I guess you could say it brings back bad memories.'

I understood what she meant but I couldn't help but wonder what memories? What experiences had changed her? I had concluded that I liked music. It was a strange thing to understand, but it was good.

'The song you sang-'

'Book of Days. It's one of Enya's. Don't utter a word of it though. Enya hasn't even been born yet.'

'So why sing it?'

'I thought it was relevant. Besides I haven't heard any of Enya's for a long time, I kinda miss them.'

'Do you miss a lot of Earth's future music?'

'I didn't at first. But I got bored. Music originally was about news of conquest and war. It got repetitive. And then you had the legends and myths that were recorded in song. They were interesting but again a lot of them were very similar. Sometimes you'd hear the same song again and it would have changed significantly. Like a song version of Chinese whispers.'

'Chinese whispers?'

'Never mind.'

'And the dancing changed depending on each song right?'

'Aye. The dancing was similar anyway because it was all the same styled music. Same styled music same styled dancing. The Aelfen are very traditional when it comes to dance. Humans still keep some of that style, May Day and such like, though their slowly getting rid of it.'

'May Day?' I had only heard that to mean that there was a problem.

'Celebration on the 1st day of the month of May.' May turned her attention to dividing the rice. Some to be kept ready for tomorrow morning so we wouldn't have to cook, the rest for now.

We ate quietly and fell asleep side by side.

I woke up later than I expected the next morning. I estimated the time as 08:53. The first thing I noticed was the chill wind and a pain on both sides of my face. I moved my hand to feel what was bothering me, when I surprised myself. I had not expected to see a human looking hand, before remembering the Holographic Projector. Which, thankfully, had not been affected by the cold.

I felt around. So cold. The small tentacles at the side of my face were frozen stiff causing me pain.

May had woken up; I suspected that was my fault. 'Are you alright?' She asked. To her it must have looked as though I was clasping thin air, but she was clever enough to work out what I was doing.

'Just the cold.' I told her.

She could see I was in pain, and reached a hand out. 'Painfully cold?' She asked.

I nodded.

She turned to one of the bags and took out some of the spare material she had packed along with the sword hilt. As she held it the blade faded into view. I couldn't take my eye off it. I had wondered if the arrow point incident had been some illusion, something to do with a lack of oxygen in the brain, but now I knew otherwise.

May cut the material into a long thick strip. She handed me the strip and put everything away. I watched the blade fade. Fascinating. Impossible.

'Here.' May began wrapping the strip around my neck, but that did not distract me from my thoughts. 'Not the best scarf in the world, but it should help.'

'How did you do that?' I asked.

'What?' May asked, clearly not understanding what I had meant.

'The sword.'

'Oh.' May looked away. Another thing I am not allowed to know it seems. Thank you so much for the frustration May, I thought, wait... I think about that last thought. Sarcasm. That is a new feature. I appear to be getting more human by the day, how irritating.

'We best head off.' I tell her. 'We don't want to be late.'

She nods, and we prepare to leave. I have not forgotten the sword incident, and I will not forget any of the other incidents when I have not been allowed the information I wished.

It had been a long trek today. It was 15:38 and we were nearly there. The scarf had helped. I was no longer in pain though still cold. I could cope. Didn't the Doctor once where a scarf in one of incarnations? Irrelevant information.

We walked along a large bridge over the Hudson River. I was now angered with the Toll we had to pay. We had little money and I had no idea how May had got hold of it. All I knew was that we now had less. It wasn't fair. I had seen how this city treated it's poorest citizens and I knew that few, if any of them, would be able to pay the Toll. What if they had to get to work of the other side? With low wages they could hardly afford to- May interrupted my trail of thought. Why was she interrupting me so much lately (both my thoughts and speach)?

'How far to the station?' May asked. I then realised that she had noticed my anger and was trying to put my mind on to other things. She was good.

'15.2km. 3 hours walk.' I worked out. 'We should be there by 1900 at the latest.'

'Plenty of time.' May smiled. 'The train doesn't leave 'til 8 tonight arriving at Montreal at 7 tomorrow morning.'

'Then we can easily avoid Central Park without being late.' Hoover Ville was one place I would have to avoid. There were people there who would recognise Diagoras only too easily. If they saw me how I actually looked, they would just as easily link it with the events that took place almost 2 months ago.

We sat on a bench watching the trains enter and leave the station. The trains were currently run on steam by burning coal, not long now until they were replaced with electrical trains. The first underground train networks had already been set up major cities like Paris, even New York had one which had opened in the latter half of the 19th century.

I attempted to ignore the noise. The noise of crowded people, of the trains, of whistling. It was loud. I didn't like it.

Time passed by at its same regular rate. The rate it has always passed. Although it seemed longer to me. Which was illogical. I blamed Human perception again. Time was consistent. It had not been tampered with.

'The train is late.' I muttered, annoyed, when the time 20:00 had passed. 7 minutes later the train arrived. We had to navigate our way through crowds of people to reach the right cabin. Not helped when the train lurched forward as it started to leave the station. We found the room eventually.

It was a small room. 2nd class (the train service didn't cater overnight travelling for 3rd so 2nd was the cheapest May could get). The layout was very basic: a small sofa to one side which would be converted to one bed with another above it; two small cupboards (one empty, one containing bed sheets); a washbasin; mirror; towel. I ignored the decoration and sat down.

I felt May's eyes examine me. 'What?' I snapped.

'Just wondering why you're in an irritable mood.' She told me softly.

I hadn't noticed. I didn't care. I was tired. I was bored. I didn't want to talk or be around anyone.

May took off the thin coat she was wearing and sat down next to me. Her presence annoyed me. Even more so when she placed her hand on my arm. 'What do you want?' She asked. Her voice was quiet but clear. I sensed she was trying too hard not to irritate me further. If that was so, why did she bother to speak?

I wanted... I just wanted...wanted something. I couldn't think what. That frustrated me. All I knew was what I didn't want, and that was everything. 'Just leave me alone.' I told her.

She moved away and searched through the bags for the train tickets and placed them on top of one of the cupboards. 'I'll be back soon.' She told me before leaving.

I sat in what should have been silence. I could hear people everywhere. I could feel the movement of the train. I saw the dark lands pass outside the window. I closed the curtains to shut out the world. But I could still hear the people and feel the train.

I decided to leave the cabin. I paced continually up and down the small corridor outside. I would have thought it pointless but I liked it. When I got bored of the same corridor I went to the next one. I paced through most of the standard class carriages. Slowly my anger was ebbing away.

After a while I headed back to mine and May's cabin. May was already there. She had laid the beds out and was waiting for me.

When I entered May offered me a small smile and an embrace. I pushed her away and held her at arm's length. She didn't say anything, but I could see her confusion. A moment later I pulled her back into an embrace.

'How are you feeling now?' She whispered into my ear.

'Better.' I replied. 'Everything's just too much at the moment, and not in a good way.' I explained.

'Ok.'


	15. Suspicions

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in Central Park late in the afternoon...<p>

'I swear I saw him Tallulah.'

'But Lazlo hunny that's impossible.'

'He looked just like Mr Diagoras.'

'But you saw he was changed, with that Dalek thing. Besides that thing was killed anyway.'

'I know, but...' Lazlo sighed. '...It doesn't make any sense. I defiantly saw him.'

Tallulah gave him a small smile which simply read, it doesn't matter just forget about it. 'Anyway I better go. I'm expected at the theatre in half an hour. I'll come by and see you after the show.'

'Are you sure it's not too late. Especially with-'

'I'll be fine Lazlo.'

'Just be careful.'

'I will.' Tallulah gave him a small quick on the cheek before hurrying off. If I'm late there's gonna be hell to pay, she thought.

Lazlo stood by one of the fires. He was aware that some of the people nearby were avoiding him. But he ignored them. He was starting to get used to it.

'Hey Lazlo'. Frank stood beside him. 'This is gonna sound really weird but I coulda sworn I saw Diagoras down at Penn Station when I went to check for newcomers at the railroad. Funny how your mind plays tricks on ya.'

'I don't think that was your mind playing tricks. I saw him down on West End Avenue earlier.'

Both Frank and Lazlo shared a look. Something was seriously wrong.

'We have to find the Doctor.' Lazlo told him.

'But we have no idea where the Doc and Martha are. They didn't leave an address or nothin.'

'We have to try something.'

'We could leave a message.'

'How could we be sure he'd get it?'

Tallulah was on stage. Everything was going perfectly. The crowd were happy. She and the girls were in step and in tune. The costumes fitted perfectly and weren't restraining. She danced during the instrumental before parading back to the mic to sing again. Then she saw them. Lazlo, Frank and a couple other guys from Hoover Ville.

What the hell were those clowns doin here? She thought, Concentrate on singing. Don't raise you voice any louder or higher Tallulah, She told herself.

It was hard enough trying to keep her job after Martha had interrupted the show. Thankfully the girls had given their support. But Tallulah was still on a knife edge. She couldn't get a single note wrong not a step out of place.

The final bars played. She and the girls moved into the final position. The show ended. The crowd applauded and whistled. Tallulah had not messed up. The performance was a success . The curtain fell. As soon as it hit the ground Tallulah ran off stage.

'Hey, Tallulah, what's the matter?' One of the girls called out. Tallulah ignored them and ran straight into Frank, Lazlo and the lot backstage.

'What do you think you're playin at turnin up here?' She demanded

'I'm not the only one who saw Diagoras today.' Lazlo explained.

'I saw him by the station and these other guys have seen him around.' Frank continued the explanation.

'You really think he's alive?' Tallulah asked.

'Somethin really ain right.' Frank told her. 'We need to find the Doc and Martha, you got any ideas?'

'No. They didn't say anything about where they were going.'

'So what do we do?' One of the other guys asked.

'Who are they?' Tallulah asked.

'Oh..er...This here's Gary and that's Sam.' Frank told her.

'Hi.'

'Hello.'

'Anyway. Anyone got any ideas?' Frank asked.

'What about that lab place the Daleks used?' Tallulah asked.

'No the Doc got rid of that.' Frank told them.

'But he might have left something we could use.' Lazlo suggested. 'It's worth a look.'

'Alright.' Frank agreed. 'Tell you what. You guys head back to Hoover Ville. See if anyone else has seen Diagoras and can work out where he is and what he's up to. If you can find him... just keep an eye on him.'

'Sure thing.' Gary and Sam left the theatre.

Tallulah, Frank and Lazlo headed down the Theatre's link to the sewers.

'You sure you wanna come?' Lazlo asked Tallulah.

'You ain't gonna get rid of me that easily.' She told him pulling a coat over her costume (the same one she had used last time she had to go down there).

Frank grabbed a flash light and headed down. Lazlo and Tallulah followed.

'Do you still know the way?' Tallulah asked. 'I don't fancy gettin lost down here.'

'Sure. This way.' Lazlo took the lead.

Before long they entered into the place where the trangenetic lab had been. The place was completely bare.

'Well I hate to say it, but this place actually looked better when the Daleks where here.' Tallulah said.

'Hey what's that?' Frank asked pointing at a single terminal in the corner that had been left behind.

Lazlo realised that all eyes were on him. 'I don't know. I've never seen the Dalek masters use it, and even if they did I wouldn't know what it did and how to use it.'

'The Doc must have left it for a reason.' Frank said speaking his thoughts aloud. 'Or else it wouldn't be here.'

'You think we could use it?' Tallulah asked.

'I don't see why not.' Frank told her.

The trio examined the terminal further.

'Well it appears that only this button here is connected.' Frank told them.

'Well how's that one tiny button gonna help?' Tallulah asked.

'Does anyone know any kinda code we could use?' Lazlo asked.

'What like Morse?' Tallulah asked.

'Solomon taught me SOS in Morse, will that do?' Frank asked.

'It's better than anything else.' Tallulah told him.

-...-/-...-/-...-/

'How long do we keep going?' Tallulah asked.'

-...-/

'Just a few more. That ort to be enough.' Frank told her. -...-/-...-/-...-/-...- 'If the Doc don't pick up on that then nothin's gonna get him here.'

They waited a few minutes. Disappointed, they left and headed back to Hoover Ville.

'Well it looks like there's others that's seen him.' Frank observed seeing a group gathering around Gary and Sam.

Sam came over. 'Well quite a few people's seen him throughout the day. He seemed to be heading toward the station. We talked to some of the guys there an' they seem to remember someone how looked liked him gettin' on a train.'

'Which one?' Frank asked.

'The overnight one to Montreal. A lot of people seem to remember him goin' round with a girl that can't be more than 15. Apparently she too got on the train.'

'Yeah I remember her.' Frank told them. Lazlo nodded in confirmation that he too had seen her. 'What would he want with her?' Frank asked.

Sam shrugged. 'You guess is as good as mine.'

'But that means that she could be in some kinda danger.' Tallulah said.

'Well we can't do nothin' more 'til the Doc gets here. If he gets here. The trains already left and none of us have the money to catch the next one tomorrow mornin'. And by then he could be anywhere.'

'So that's it then?'

'We tried. We can't do anymore.' Frank told her.


	16. Mannerisms  They need Work

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p><em>The morning of the 28<em>_th__ of December 1930AD_

_I awoke climbed out of the top bunk (climbing really wasn't Sec's thing) and got dressed. I double checked that we had everything we needed for the day ahead. __I then set about putting my hair up. 30's haristyles were annoying, I decided._

_If everything went to plan we should be in Montreal within the hour and at Quebec City by mid afternoon, ready for the ship tomorrow morning._

_I saw Sec stir behind me, through the mirror as I pushed the last few hairpins in place. _'Morning.'_ I said brightly._

'Morning.'_ He replied not so brightly._

_With a small smile I left the cabin and wandered around the train in search of a window. I didn't think Sec would appreciate me opening our curtains while he was still half asleep._

_I looked out on the fields of southern Canada as they raced past. They had not escaped the snow either. We passed a few small towns and villages. I heard activity within the carriage increase; people were waking up and preparing themselves for the day ahead. Most of them were heading to the catering carriages. We would not be able to afford the luxury._

_That was something I hadn't thought about. Food. We had it but we couldn't cook it on the train – I don't think the staff would be impressed if we lit a fire in our cabin. It seemed as though the dried fruit I had packed wouldn't last as long as I had hoped._

_After a while I came away from the window and headed back to the cabin. Sec was dressed and the curtains were open. I noticed he was making a mess in an attempt to put the beds away._

'Let me do that.'_ I told him. He stood back out of the way and I took over. Within a few minutes we were sitting on the sofa._

'We should be arriving soon.' _Sec stated._

'Aye.'

'What do we do once we land in Southampton?'

'No idea yet.' _I answered, ignoring the look I got._

'You mean you haven't got a plan?'

'I have got a plan. Get to Southampton, and then go somewhere else – probably.'

_He sighed irritated. _'Why did we leave refuge anyway?'

'Because that is what we needed to do.'

'Why?'

'I don't know yet. Anothi domlent.'

'You have no destination in mind.'

'Nothing specific.' _Please stop asking questions now and get yourself into a better mood. What is wrong with you lately? Ever since we reached New York you've become very irritable._

'But surely-'

'It doesn't matter. We are going to Southampton that is all I know, all you know and all we need to know. What happens next is too far ahead to contemplate.' _He didn't ask anymore. I think he understood the message._

_I looked out of the window. We had left behind the trees and fields and villages. Now there were houses and flats. The buildings of Montreal flashed by._

_Eventually the train slowed and lurched to a stop. _'They need to get a better braking system.' _Sec muttered. _

_I looked out at the station. We had arrived. Already the station was full of people._

'Which platform?' _Sec asked as we stepped on to the platform._

'Platform 3.' _I replied, trying to get through the surge of people. Sec followed as best he could. Now I could see why he had gotten so easily frustrated._

_I decided Sec was not a city person. He disliked too much noise, crowds and huge, unfair divisions between classes. I knew that, once we had got to England, we would have to head somewhere quieter. Where specifically I didn't know, but at least I had some idea as to what kind of place to go._

_We stood on Platform 3. There was no available bench. _'What time does the train due to arrive?' _Sec asked._

'Half 7.' _I replied._

'03:30?' _Sec asked confused._

'No I meant 7:30.' _I explained. _'5 minutes time.'

'If the trains arrive on time.'

'It's an expected estimate time rather than the actual time the train arrives.' _I explained._

'Estimates are inaccurate and the trains should run at the expected times.'

'The times are estimated because there may be a fault with the train or they may be carrying more or less people than they expected.'

'Then they should change their expectations.'

_I sighed and rolled my eyes. _'One day you may think differently.' _I didn't want to argue or explain any more of the factors that affected the punctuality of the trains. Sec could work them out by himself, if he put his mind to it._

_I was glad when the train pulled in on time. Although Sec was convinced that it was 14 rels late. Can't he just let one go? I thought – knowing that speaking it allowed would not be a practical use of time, energy or breath._

_We searched the train for an empty cabin. In the end we settled for one that was occupied by a man reading his newspaper. He smiled in greeting at us but said nothing. No one spoke throughout the next hour and the awkwardness of it filled the atmosphere._

_The man finished his paper and put it to one side. _'So...'_ he started, avoiding direct eye contact. _'... Where are you heading?'

'Quebec City, sir. What about you?'_ I answered. I could not see Sec's reaction but I assumed he didn't want to hold a conversation._

_The man looked at me surprised that I, the child and a female at that, should answer not the adult. He didn't say anything and continued to be polite. _'Drummondville on business.' _He replied. _'Sorry, how can I forget my manners? My name is William Martin.'

_He offered his hand to me, which I shook. _'May Runner.'_ I told him._

_He then offered his hand to Sec, who hesitated before shaking his hand. _'Sec Runner.' _He said glancing briefly at me. I knew there would be questions later._

'I take it you're not from 'round here then. Well, not from Montreal anyway.'

'No we're heading home. Catching a ship from Quebec City.' I explained.

'Really.' _He seemed interested. _'Which one?'

'RMS Empress of Australia.' _I could sense that Sec was not pleased that I had so easily given away the information of our journey. Welcome to society Sec. In order to fit in you have to fit the social requirements, which may include polite conversation about your whereabouts with a random stranger._

'RMS Empress of Australia...That's on the Atlantic route isn't it?'

'Aye. Ferries to and from Southampton. So what about you? And you're business?'

'I'm a lawyer. I have to go wherever my clients require me. Why they can't just employ a more local lawyer is beyond me. Still, a job is a job. You use any opportunity you get. You dare not refuse what with the current economical mess.'

_I nodded._

'I'm curious to know as to why you would travel so far.'

'Visiting relatives. The opportunity arose and we took it. After all you can't be sure if you'll get another chance for a while yet. As you said, you get an opportunity you take it.' A_ lie, but it worked._

_William chuckled quietly. _'Your daughter's got a good head on her shoulders.' _He said addressing Sec, who smiled, attempting not to give away anything. _'If all girls her age were that clever then we would be looking forward to a bright future indeed.' _Sec kept smiling, unsure what to say._

_William gave me a look which said, he doesn't talk much does he?_

_I gave him a look that said, I know._

_We were interrupted by the ticket collector. He punched a hole through mine and Sec's tickets, before checking William's, which aready had a hole through it._

'So you'll be getting off at the next stop then sir.' _He told William, when he'd asked how far away Drummondville was. _'Good day sirs, miss.'_At which the ticket Collector left for the nex cabin._

'Well then, I better get ready.' _William said, packing away his newspaper, picking up a briefcase and putting on a coat and hat. He wished us a safe journey._

'Good luck with your case.' _I replied. Sec nodded a goodbye. When we were sure that he'd left, Sec turned to me. _'Daughter?' _He asked._

'His assumption. We might as well play along with it. At least we won't appear suspicious or anything.'

'But revealing where we were heading?'

'Social demand, polite conversation etcetera. How do you think he'd reacted if we'd not given him an answer? Besides we're not on the run.'

_I could see that Sec was clearly not impressed. But before he could interrogate me further we were joined by a (presumed) mother and her children – A baby and two boys I estimated about 5 and 8. _'Sorry.' _The she said. _'There's nowhere else do you mind if we...'

'No, no , no. It's fine.' _I said brightly. Again I sensed that Sec was not impressed. Just put up with it, I thought. Before long we were acquainted with the family - The Porters, their mother, Harriet, her baby daughter, Jess, and her two sons, James (8-ish) and Robert (5-ish)._

_I watched quietly as Harriet tried to sort the small family out – putting bags up on the shelf above the seats, holding a screaming baby, preventing a loud argument between the two brothers. Harriet was struggling to hold Jess and to all that was required of her._

'Excuse me can you hold her for a minute.' _She asked Sec. He didn't get time to answer before Jess was placed in his arms. Harriet turned her attention back to her sons. I turned mine to Sec who looked at the baby with bewilderment. _


	17. Travelling

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>New situation. Sudden. Unpredicted. Unexpected. Unknown territory.<p>

I'm holding a small child in my arms. I'm not entirely sure how to hold such a fragile thing. Admittedly a loud fragile thing.

'Support the head.' May whispered to me.

I do as she says. I study the human child carefully. She stops screaming and looks back at me. I am only slightly aware that the argument between the other children has not stopped and that their mother is trying desperately to stop it from escalating to violence.

I glance at her. She is exhausted. I know that most mothers (human mothers included) will protect their children to the death. Yet she would trust me, a complete stranger, to hold something so precious to her? I can't help but wonder where the children's father is.

I quite like holding the child, now that she isn't screaming. What's her name again? I ask myself. Jess.

'Hello Jess.' I say to the baby. Pointless communication. She can't reply and she can't understand me. So why did I do it? How am I supposed to understand the world around me when I can't even understand myself?

The child starts to fall asleep. It appears that she too trusts me even though she has no idea who I am. I don't remember humans being this trusting. Perhaps they trust me more now that I look like one of them.

I notice that the argument has stopped. I see Harriet slump down onto the opposite seat. 'She likes you.' She says.

I smile at the compliment. I like her. 'Where are you heading?' I ask.

'Quebec City. You?'

'Same place. Well the port to be precise.' I decide holding a conversation with these people is not a bad thing.

We talk for a few more minutes. The two brothers are playing a game with small model cars. I watch amazed with how imaginative they are. They see imaginary roads, cities and people. Using their imagination as a tool for their entertainment.

I look back at Harriet, she too has fallen asleep. She seems to have forgotten that I am still holding her child, probably grateful for some peace.

May is quietly watching me. 'Everything ok?' She asks.

'Yes.'

A few hours passed. May was studying everything that passed by the window. Harriet did not stir. Neither did Jess. James and Robert were still playing their game, which was getting more impossible and imaginative by the second. I decided that humans were curious creatures and that it was impossible for anyone to fully understand them.

'We should be arriving soon.' May told me.

'If the train keeps up this pace we should arrive in 7 minutes and 12 rels.'

May laughed.

'What?'

'Unusual amounts of accuracy.'

What did she mean by that? I decided it was best not to ask.

'Did you say we should be there soon?' One of the boys, James I think, asked.

'Aye.' May replied.

'Is mother ok?' Robert asked.

'She's just a bit tired.' May answered again. 'But we'd better wake her up.' I watched as she went over to Harriet and gentle shook her shoulder.

Harriet stirred.

'We're arriving soon miss.' May told her.

Harriet was now fully awake. She apologised for falling asleep and leaving me with the baby for so long. I told her that I didn't mind, but she was too busy preparing her family to leave and not in the calmest of ways.

The family left the cabin as the train slowed. May slung a bag on her back and I did the same.

'So, what do you think?' She asked, I assumed she meant about the family.

'I liked them.' I told her. She smiled and we left the train.

We weaved our way through the crowd and out onto the street.

'Right then. Its mid-afternoon and we don't need to be at Port de Québec until tomorrow morning. So is there anything you fancy doing for the next few hours before we find somewhere to sleep for the night?'

'Not that I can think of.'

May walked off in what appeared to be a random direction and I followed. We wandered around Quebec City all afternoon. I guessed that the main reason for that was to keep ourselves from getting too cold. In the evening we settled down in a nearby park.

'Is your last name actually Runner?' I asked May.

'Aye... In the sense that when asked for a last name that is the name I give.'

I frowned. 'Either it is your name or it isn't. Don't confuse me with selective use.'

'In that case the yes it is my last name.'

We talked until we fell asleep.

In the morning we walked to the port. The place was as busy as the train station had been, if not busier. We had to queue to board the ship. It was easy enough, although I think it would have been better if there weren't people running through the queues now and then.

Before long we had boarded and headed down to 3rd class. 'Reminds me of the Titanic.' May muttered.

'You were on the Titanic?' I asked.

'Only while it was being built. Of course the Empress of Australia's not as large and has the correct number of lifeboats.'

'Not that it matters. The current lifeboats onboard don't get used.' I told May.

'Aye. This ship has a good history.'

'Something I didn't think of until just now. Why did we have to catch a ship from Quebec City and not New York?'

'I wondered how long it would be until you asked that. The answer is...I don't know. It was Camru's idea. For some reason it was important not to take the simplest route. Besides I don't think you'd want to hang around New York for too long anyway.'

May had a point. Some of New York's poorest residents worked on the docks.

We had a peaceful and uneventful journey on the ship. We didn't entirely fit in with the other people in 3rd class they didn't seem to mind. I often found myself wandering around the ship on my own.

I knew that May liked to spend a lot of her time alone with her thoughts on the ship's deck. She never told me why that was. I presumed that she was thinking of where to go when the ship landed in Southampton.

Leaving the ship was much the same as entering it. The dock was full of people: crew, dock workers, passengers, friends and family of passengers.

As we left I asked May where we were going.

'Beodericsworth.' She replied. 'Or to the common person Bury St Edmunds.'

'A market town in Suffolk?'

'Aye.'

'And how do we get there?'

'We walk.'

'It's 240km away.'

'We're in no hurry. And we'll be avoiding the larger towns and cities so the journey's going to be longer than that.'

'But we don't have enough food.'

'How young do you think I am? I have skill in hunting, food isn't a problem. Though I suggest we wear the Aelfen clothes while we're travelling.'

I sighed. More walking and in the winter. I followed May, not wanting to lose her in the crowds. 'What do we do when we get to Bury St Edmunds?' I asked.

'Well unless anything unexpected happens we can stop travelling for a while.'

I liked the sound of that, as we started on the almost 300km walk.


	18. Decade Late

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>The Doctor stood in the TARDIS' console room struck with indecision. Where to go? Forward to the 67th Century Earth, to the first Selmoi Celebration? Or perhaps back? Back to observe the signing of the Magna Charta?<p>

Your song will end soon...He will knock four times... Sssh! Not yet. What's soon when your 900? It could be another 300 years or something. Could be. But the Doctor doubted it.

He sighed and decided to punch in a set of random co-ordinates instead. Far more fun. And then he heard it -...-/-...-/ The SOS played over 8 times. Looks like my destinations been decided for me, the Doctor thought scanning where the SOS was coming from.

'But... That can't be right.' The Doctor exclaimed. New York, underneath the Empire State Building, December 27th 1930. 'Well we'll soon find out.' He said enthusiastically, turning to face someone who wasn't there. Then he remembered he was on his own. 'Just me then.' He said with less enthusiasm as he set the TARDIS spinning away through the Time Vortex.

Donna, Martha, Rose all of them had left him, but they were happy now, weren't they? He thought of Donna never knowing the truth about herself. Never knowing that for one amazing moment she was the most important person in the universe. But she'd go on. Living a nice, normal, admittedly boring, human life.

The TARDIS landed with one final great jolt. Bringing the Doctor to the floor and back to reality. He picked himself up from the floor, grabbed his coat and ran out of the door.

First observation. It was dark. The Doctor shone the small light of the sonic screwdriver around. He was defiantly in what was left of the Transgenetic laboratory, but there was no-one there.

He wandered out, wondering who had sent the signal, heading in the general direction of the theatre. He had to get to ground level and the lift no longer went up to the building above – he'd put a stop to that before he and Martha had left.

He found the ladder and climbed it, pushing on the manhole's cover above him. He half expected Tallulah (with 3 L's and a H) to be pointing a pretend gun at him, not a heavy load. He pushed harder, eventually whatever it was fell over with a loud thump and the cover opened.

The Doctor climbed out into the theatre's costume cupboard. That too was dark. Grateful that he still had the sonic he began walking towards the door and fell over a costume rack. So that's what had been placed on top of the cover, He thought. He stood up, untangling himself from the costumes, before continuing towards the door.

After a brief exploration the Doctor concluded that the theatre was empty. Next stop Hoover Ville. Maybe someone there would know what was going on or at least give him some clue.

Hoover Ville appeared to have changed quite a bit. Probably due to the after effects of the Dalek attack not so long ago.

'Excuse me. Do you know where I might find Lazlo or Frank?' The Doctor asked someone randomly.

'Hmm?' The man asked.

'Lazlo or Frank.'

'Sorry mate they left a while ago.'

'What both of them?'

'Yep.'

'Where did they go?'

'Frank caught the railroad. Lazlo's girl got lucky in theatre and they moved on somewhere.' The man waved his hand in the air to show that they weren't around.

'Oh.' The Doctor said. Wondering what to do next.

'You a friend of them?'

'Yeah. I'm the Doctor by the way.'

'Sam.' The man replied shaking the Doctor's hand. 'They mentioned you a few years back.'

'Years?'

'Yeah.'

The penny dropped. 'What year is it?' The Doctor asked.

'Where have you been living?' Sam exclaimed.

'Just answer the question.'

'27th December 1940.'

'10 years late.' The Doctor muttered, no wonder Hoover Ville looked so different. 'I really need to make sure I double check the co-ordinates on the TARDIS before I-'

'Sorry. What?' Sam asked.

'Never mind.' The Doctor thought for a moment. 'Sam were you here about 10 years ago?'

'Yep. It must have been about this time back then I first came to Hoover Ville.'

'Do you remember anything strange happening? Anything at all?'

'Well there was all those people that went missing an' then those metal things that attacked here. An' then people were saying that Diagoras got killed, which was strange 'cos we saw him an' a girl gettin' on a train-'

'Stop there.' The Doctor demanded, Diagoras was dead. Not only because of the final experiment but that Dalek Sec had then died. Diagoras was defiantly dead. 'You said that you saw Diagoras getting on a train. When?'

'About a month nearly two after we were attacked.'

'And then what happened?'

'Frank, Lazlo and his girl-'

'Tallulah with three L's and an H.'

'Right. Went looking for someone...' Sam thought for a moment. '...YOU! They said they were trying to get hold of you.'

'Thanks Sam, you've been a great help.' With that the Doctor went to leave. 'Oh, which train did Diagoras get on?'

'Err... I think it was the overnight one to Montreal.'

'Penn station?'

'Yep.'

'Thanks.' The Doctor left at a fast pace. I'm late. Really late. He thought. I can't go back to the right time without causing some paradox with my conversation with Sam, so I'll have to see what I can do here and now. 10 years late.

He waltzed into Penn station and made direct eye contact with the ticket salesperson.

'Can I help you sir?'

'Ahh yes I think you can. I need to see a passenger list from 1930.'

'We don't keep a record of every passenger that comes through here.'

'Not every, but the overnight train journey's have to be booked in advance. Correct?'

'Yes.'

'So they have to be recorded somewhere. Right?'

'Right.' It took a few seconds for the point to sink in. 'I see, but I can't let you see them.'

'Why not?'

'They're not open to the public.'

'I know.' The Doctor said reaching for the psychic paper. 'A case has re-opened and I really need to see those passenger lists.'

'Sorry, Detective Inspector Smith. I'll have them run over to your police station immediately.'

'No there's no need for that.' One day I'll get caught out, the Doctor realised, then I'll be in trouble. 'I'll see them now.' He said brightly.

'Of course sir.' The ticket salesperson left the window and opened a staff door nearby, and led the Doctor to a room filled with filing cabinets.

'This one's 1930. The 1st of January at the top near the front, and the 31st of December at the bottom at the back.' She explained before going back to selling tickets.

'Thanks.' The Doctor muttered. Searching through endless papers was not his idea of fun. He reached into his coat and pulled out a banana.

The Doctor found the file that was marked December 27th 1930 and began eating his banana. There were several overnight trains that day. Only one to Montreal. There were the usual details. The train arrived a few minutes late, the catering had run out of potatoes etcetera.

'Ahh.' The Doctor said when he found the passenger list. 'Let's see.' He examined the names. 'No Diagoras.' He said thinking allowed. But he kept searching for an unusual name. 'Miss May Runner. That's an unusual one...And even more so when you look here.' The Doctor looked up. There was no one there. He sighed. Mr Sec Runner and Miss May Runner shared an overnight cabin to Montreal Central Station. Well in that case that was where he was headed. 'Come on.' He said to nobody as he left.

He parked the TARDIS in a cupboard in Montreal Central Station, that way he wouldn't have to walk too far to get back to it. He noted that he had skipped a few days and thanks to a nearby newspaper he knew that it was now the 3rd of January 1941.

Again the Doctor waltzed up to the ticket salesperson. 'Excuse me.' He said brightly, bringing out the psychic paper. 'Can I see your passenger records from December 28th 1930?' Although inwardly he was dreading how many more files and pieces of paper he would have to potentially search through.


	19. On the battle field

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>Time: Unknown<p>

Date: Unknown

Location: Unknown

Main thoughts: What's happening? Where am I? Where's May?

I looked up dazed at the darkly clouded sky above. I felt pain. I couldn't move. Either my body had gone into shock or I was seriously injured or maybe a mixture of both.

I felt the wet mud underneath me. It was warm. There was only one logical reason why. I knew I must be bleeding heavily.

I thought hard. Trying to remember when I had last seen May. Over a year ago. Had it really been that long?

* * *

><p>It was late August. The 31st to be exact. May was standing by the river Lark that ran through Bury St Edmunds. We had become close friends. She had been dressed in the nurses uniform that volunteer's of St John wore.<p>

Since we had come to Bury she had been eager to join the local fist aid group. I hadn't been sure what the point was. May seemed to think it important to help volunteer first aid cover at local events. She had also mentioned something about the Hospitallers of St John and a 1000 year history. When she first found the group she joined the cadet group before they placed her in the adult group a few years later. According to file she was too old, not that she looked it. From there she had advanced from a first aider to a nurse.

I walked slowly over to her. I was unsure how to break the news to her. World War two was just around the corner. I had decided that I couldn't do nothing while it happened. I just couldn't. So earlier that day I had applied to the Suffolk Regiment. What I would do on the battle front I had no idea. All I knew was that I couldn't stay at home.

'Hiya.' She said brightly as I came beside her. She must have seen the look on my face because her mood suddenly changed to a more serious one. 'What's happened?' She asked.

I hesitated. Her eyes stared directly at mine. I had to tell her. I couldn't keep it secret. I looked away from her. Perhaps it would be easier if I couldn't see her. 'May. Do you know what happens tomorrow?'

'1st of September 1939. Germany invades Poland starting the Second World War.'

She said it so easily, so factually. 'I know this is going to be hard for you to understand but I can't stand back and do nothing while the world goes to war.'

'I don't think anyone in their right mind can. Knowing that they can help.'

She had said that just as easily. Did she really understand what I was trying to say? I looked at her. No, I think she misunderstood. I looked away again. 'So I have decided that I am going to help.'

'Aye.'

Still not understanding what I was hinting at. 'I joined the Suffolk Regiment. I have already been given a place in the Barracks. When Germany invades tomorrow troops shall be sent to Europe from all over England by the end of the week. I will be among them.'

May said nothing. I risked a glance at her and saw a strong mixture of pain and shock written all over her face. 'I'm sorry.' I told her, though I doubted it would make any of us feel better. 'But I can't do nothing.'

'There's a better way.' She was close to tears. 'You don't have to fight. Please don't go.' She had a desperate tone.

'There really isn't a better way for me May. I have to fight this war. For once I'm fighting against the belief of superiority not for it.' It was that fact that had encouraged me to join more than any others.

'But there is a better way.'

'No there isn't.' I told her softly. Tears were now falling from her eyes. I could feel my own eye watering.

'But there is-'

'No. I'm sorry.' I started to leave. I wanted to get away from this situation as fast as possible.

'Sec. Please just wait and listen. There is a better way. Just listen.' I heard May call after me.

'I'm sorry. I really am.' I muttered, not that May could hear before running off in the direction of the Barracks.

* * *

><p>If I had the energy now I would have cried. I had left May at a bad time and I regretted it. Was she safe? I knew that country towns such as Bury were not affected by air raids, but that didn't mean that May hadn't moved to an area where air raids were common.<p>

I had longed to see her again throughout the following year and a half. I had sent a letter to her when I was sent out to the front line not a week later. I had got no reply.

Why was I here? I remembered the advance.

* * *

><p>Gun in hand. It was raining. We marched in a single rank. Advancing towards the enemy.<p>

Shots were fired from each side. Shells fell from the sky. The rank was failing. I saw new friends fall dead around me.

I came across a man in opposition uniform. The enemy. He was injured but alive. He expected me to kill him. The other soldiers expected me to kill him. I expected me to kill him. But all that went through my mind was memories. Of the extinction of the Mechanoids. Of the Time War. Of Torchwood 1. Of all the death and suffering I had caused in the act of war as a Dalek and how greatly I regretted it all.

I felt the gun slip from my grasp. I felt weak. I could hear someone shouting at me. My sergeant, I think. Telling me to shoot, before I got myself killed. Telling me I was a coward. A deserter. And then there was a new shout. 'INCOMING!'

* * *

><p>A shell. What else? It must have fallen nearby. The reason why I was injured. I couldn't see the man I had come across. I could see no one living anywhere. The rain had caused a thick fog to fall over the land.<p>

It was here I would die. Alone. In battle. In the cold. Among the bodies of those already dead. Unknown to many exactly who I was. I was just another statistic.

I looked to the bodies that littered the ground. All brave men, with families and friends. With jobs and homes. All had once had lives. What had I done with mine? Nothing good. Not even as being part human had done much improvement. I had done nothing. I had got a job and a home, but I didn't do anything big to make the world a better place. And now I was here. I came here to make a difference and I hadn't even done that. I had done nothing. And now I was dying.

I'm sorry May, I thought. As I closed my eye for the last time I had an image of her stumbling across the battle fields. Looking for life anywhere. Stupid imagination. Then all was dark.


	20. Nurse Runner

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>The Doctor walked out of a cupboad and into the hurriedly converted frontline hospital. It pained him to see the distress around him but this is where the trail had led. But he was glad that humans had been resourceful enough to convert the building rather than build a new one to make things easier for themselves.<p>

He had followed the journey of Mr and Miss Runner from Montreal Central Station to Quebec City and then on the RMS Empress of Australia. He had then been stuck in Southampton. The trail had appeared to end there. Until, by chance, he had come across a news paper report listing some of the people lost on the frontline. Among the list of missing was Private Runner of the Suffolk Regiment.

The Doctor had then travelled to Bury St Edmunds where the regiment was based. And there he found Mr and Miss Runner again. Sec Runner's fate the Doctor knew. But May Runner was still out there. Their flat had been sold two days after the war had begun. May was not within Bury. The Doctor had then picked up her trail from the list of volunteer nurses that had then become frontline nurses, supported by St John's training. And it was here, at this field hospital, where she was supposed to work.

'Excuse me. I'm looking for Nurse Runner?' He asked the nearest nurse.

'Sorry sir. She's not back yet.'

'Not back? Back from where?'

'She goes out with the search parties. Out to the battle front in search of survivors. She's a brave one for someone so young if you don't mind me saying so sir.'

'When are they due back?'

'In about an hour sir.'

'Any idea where I can wait for her.'

'If you go through there and go to the left I'll ask her to see you when she's next free sir.'

The Doctor thanked the nurse and went to wait. Waiting was not his thing. Especially after spending so long searching for two people. Now the one he'd been searching for originally was dead. He'd been too late.

The Doctor watched the Nurses and Doctors hurry around the hospital tending to as many patients as possible to the best of their abilities. And hour passed and then they ran past. Presumably the search party, with new patients from the battle field.

'Nurse Runner?' The Doctor called out.

'Hang on.' Came the reply from one of the nurses who ran past. The Doctor watched her until she was out of sight. She looked young. Too young to be a nurse, too young to be in this sort of hospital and defiantly far too young to be part of a medical battle field search party.

The Doctor waited a little while longer. He was toying with the idea of going in the same direction the party had taken.

'You wanted to see me sir?'

The Doctor looked up. 'Nurse Runner?'

'Aye sir.' She answered.

'Miss May Runner?'

'Aye. That is also my name sir.'

It was her. She defiantly looked too young to be here. But she stood there like there was nothing wrong. Despite the mud and blood that stained her dress from her last adventure to the frontline. Despite what had happened to Sec. Evidently she didn't know, yet.

'I think you'd better sit down.' The Doctor told her. He didn't like to be the one to bring devastating news, but she needed to know.

May sat beside him.

'I believe you know Private Runner.'

'Aye sir.'

'Please stop calling me sir. What do you know about him?'

She frowned. 'A lot.' She said.

'Do you know who he was?'

'Aye. I know Sec. What do you mean by was?'

'Well he was reported missing a week ago.' The Doctor was surprised that she didn't react. 'Which means that he didn't return from the advance.'

'If you mean to say he is dead, then you are misinformed. Sorry what's your name?'

'The Doctor.'

'Then I think you'd better come with me.' May told him before leading the way down the corridor.

The Doctor, now both confused and curious, followed her. 'You're not human are you?' He asked, knowing the answer. Based on people's description of her she hadn't aged in the last 10 years.

'No. Neither are you or Sec.'

'So what planet are you from?'

'I'd rather not go into details.'

The Doctor was aware that he was now being led through the staff quarters. 'Where are we going?'

'To see Sec. This way.' May went to the left, up some stairs and through the third door on the right.

The Doctor entered the room not entirely sure what to expect. It was a small staff dormitory. There were three beds. One was empty. One had a nurse who was sleeping ready for the nightshift and in the last bed, near the window, laid another body.

The Doctor went over to the patient. 'Dalek Sec.' He murmured. 'He's in his natural form? Well natural form for a Human-Dalek Hybrid anyway.'

'Only I and another Nurse, Nurse Edwards, share this room.' May told him indicating to the sleeping nurse. 'We don't mind.'

'And both of you look after him?'

'Aye.'

'No-one else?'

'Aye.'

The Doctor studied Dalek Sec's condition, carefully. He had been close to death. That was obvious, but he was recovering. 'I take it you found him on one of your searches.'

'Aye. We found him in a shell crater. It didn't hit him directly but he was close enough to it to... to... well to put him in the state he's in now.'

The Doctor looked up at May for the first time since he'd entered the room. For the first time he could see how she was really feeling. How distressed she truly was. He went over and hugged her. She burst into tears. The Doctor didn't say anything. There was nothing he could say. Dalek Sec maybe improving but his condition was still delicate. A false promise was not what this girl needed to hear.

The Doctor was still holding May when she had stopped crying. 'I need to get back to work.' She told him. Instantly her distress disappeared from her face, and was hidden within her.

'I'll keep watch.' The Doctor told her, knowing what it was like to carry a hidden burden, though unlike May there was no-one to help him with his.

'Thank you.' With that she left.

The Doctor took his position by the window. Too late? Perhaps it really is never too late.


	21. A Disappearance

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>I cough myself awake. I feel incredibly disorientated. I knew I was dying, but I'm not dead. So what happened? And where am I?<p>

'I wondered when you'd wake up. I've been here for nearly a week.'

I know that voice. 'Doctor?' I ask turning slowly to see him. He was standing by a window, I could see daylight outside.

'The one and the only.' He said coming over. 'How do you feel?'

'Do I really have to answer that?'

He smiled. 'So you've gained a sense of humour then.'

'Where am I?'

'Field hospital. Nurse's dormitory to be more precise.'

'Why am I in a Nurse's dormitory?' I asked looking around. I spotted two other beds, one occupied the other empty.

Without missing a beat the Doctor launched into an explanation. 'Because you not allowed on the wards for two very good reasons. One, you're not in human form 'cos a very good Nurse knows you can only give a patient the best treatment when you know the full extent of the injury which means no holographic projections. And two, that very good Nurse won't allow you to go on the ward and be treated by just anyone. And three, I don't think anyone fancies holding an argument with that very good Nurse at the moment.'

'You said there were only two reasons not three.' I pointed out, not sure exactly how the Doctor managed to talk so fast for so long.

'Did I really?' The Doctor asked looking at me as though I said the most preposterous thing in the universe. 'Oh and four that very good Nurse is Nurse Runner.'

'May's here?' I asked, trying to sit up.

'Don't get up you'll strain yourself.' The Doctor told me sternly as his pushed me back. 'So I take it you know May well. And I should hope so after travelling around with her and then living in the same flat for 10 years. You know you two left a very difficult trail to follow.'

'Not deliberately.' I told him. He just raised an eyebrow at me.

'So what have you been up to for the last 10 years? No. Don't answer. I already know.'

'May filled you in?'

'No. I filled myself in. Still can't help but ask why?'

'Why?'

'Why you joined the army. How you made a very clever holographic projector. Why you're alive after being shot. And why you'd bother to move all 6000 kilometres of the way to Bury St Edmunds.'

'5679.74 kilometres.' I corrected him.

'May was right. You are mad about accuracy. So anyway are you going to answer the questions?'

'I'll answer them backwards.' I told him, it'd be easier that way. 'Bury St Edmunds was May's idea. I'm alive because of May. The holographic projector was May's invention. And deciding to fight in the war was my idea but why is... complicated.'

'Does it anything to do with May?'

'No, not really. Why?'

''Cos everything else was.'

'Where is May?'

'She's working.'

'Why's she working in a field hospital?'

'Dunno. You'll have to ask her that when she comes back.'

'Comes back?' I asked confused.

'When the search party gets back.'

'She's in a search party?'

'Yep.'

'To the frontline?'

'Yep.'

'And you let her go?'

'Ah.' Was all the Doctor said.

'She'll get herself killed.' I tried to get out of bed, but the Doctor got there first and held me down. I was too weak to fight against him. Tired I gave up.

'You care about her a lot.' The Doctor observed.

What kind of observation was that? But I knew I shouldn't be angry at the Doctor. Knowing May she had probably put herself up for it and no-one would be able to convince her otherwise. It also explained why I thought I had seen her when I was dying on the battle field.

I felt exhausted. Sleep was beginning to creep back. 'Doctor. Tell May I'm sorry.'

'Sorry for what?'

'She knows.' With that I fell asleep.

I don't know how long I was asleep but when I woke up again it was dark. Both of the other beds were empty, and the Doctor was pacing. I knew instantly that something wasn't right.

I tried to sit up and yelped as an unexpected spasm of pain erupted from my shoulder.

The Doctor was instantly at my side. 'I told you not to get up.' I could sense from his tone he was worried, and I don't think all that worry was because of me. 'You've got a large gash on your shoulder and you've just opened it up.' He told me as he placed wrapped a bandage around the area. 'Not perfect, never could reach Martha's standard, but it'll do.'

'What happened to Martha?' I asked.

'She's fine. Went home. You know.'

I didn't know, but I considered it wise not to ask any further.

The Doctor paced relentlessly. Something really wasn't right.

Then a Nurse burst in to the room tears streaming from her face. The Doctor was by her in an instant to comfort her. 'Nurse Edwards what's happened?' He asked.

'The party...*sob*...has been...de...*sob*...declared... a-as-s-s-s missing...They refuse t-to let anyone...*sob*... go looking.' Nurse Edwards slowly answered.

Party? I thought, did she mean search party? May was in the search parties. I felt myself begin to panic. She'd come back though. She was strong. She had to come back. But my hope was disappearing at an alarming rate.

Between these thoughts I sensed the Doctor nearby. 'I'm sorry.' I heard him say. Confirming that May had been in the missing party.

'I'm so sorry.'


	22. The Race

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>Sec hadn't spoken for days. I kept watched just as I had promised May when we had first met. Sec's physical condition was improving, his body healed fast, but I knew that would mean nothing if he didn't heal emotionally.<p>

May had missed out how she had revived him, when we talked. But she had told me about his attempted suicide and how greatly Sec had suffered from the guilt of the Time War (he wasn't alone on that factor). But it did mean that he was likely to go back to a suicidal state of mind. And the moment my back was turned... I shivered.

I glanced over at him. He was awake but still wearing the same glazed over expression he had when he had heard of May's disappearance and presumed death. It was as though Sec had already left this world.

I really did feel sorry for him. My enemy he had once been, but that had changed. He had changed. He cared for someone other than himself and he was hurting because of it. I didn't want to stay in a war zone, nobody does, but I wanted to help. I can't ignore a distress signal when I come across one. But I felt as though helping Sec was beyond me.

Nurse Edwards entered the room. Today was her day off. 'Keep an eye on him, I'll be back soon.' I told her. 'I really need a cup of tea.' She nodded.

All of the patients had been fed by now so the kitchen was empty. I turned the kettle on. Tonight is going to be a dark night, I thought as I watched the clouds overheard. I poured the kettle slowly into a mug. Sec was still at the top of my mind. I sipped the tea thinking carefully. I could always take him somewhere else in the TARDIS, but would that actually help?

'He's gone!' Nurse Edwards cried as she entered the kitchen surprising me.

'What?' I asked, now covered it tea.

'Sec. I only left the room for a moment with the laundry, sir. I wasn't gone for than a minute, but when I came back he was gone.'

I really didn't need this. 'Any idea where?' I asked, knowing that he would only have one destination in mind.

'No sir.' She replied.

'Search the hospital.' She did as I she was told.

I grabbed my coat and ran out of the hospital. If Sec was heading anywhere it would be to search the battle front for May. 'Excuse me, I need to use this vehicle.' I yelled to a group of men on my way past, frantically waving the psychic paper at them.

Before they could answer I had jumped in to the jeep, soniced the engine into life and was driving it as fast as I could towards the trenches. As much as a jeep can easily over take an injured man (even if he is a Human-Dalek Hybrid), there was still one problem. The battle front as a large place and he could be anywhere along it. Finding him was not easy. And I had to find him before death did.

The radio buzzed into life. 'Delta Mike Zero Three Five. Do you read me? Over.'

I glanced at the radio. There was a label reading 'DM035' attached to it.

'Hello? Delta Mike Zero Three Five. Do you read me? Over.'

'Hello.' I shouted down the radio. 'This is the Doctor speaking. I'm driving Delta Mike Zero Three Five if you must know. Oh and it could do with a new suspension, especially after I'm done with it.'

'Doctor we have a message from Nurse Edwards. Over.'

'Hello, Doctor sir?' Nurse Edwards' voice came through the radio.

'Yes. I'm here.' I told her.

'Sec isn't anywhere in the hospital sir.'

'Ok, I'll let you know when I find him.'

'Best of luck sir. Is there anything else I can do?'

'Can you make me a new cup of tea for when I come back? And stop calling me sir!'

I heard her laugh on the other end. I also heard some else shout a warning at me that I was heading towards the area between the lines. Then there was the shout of 'PORTER!'

A man, I presume Porter, ran out in front of the jeep. I braked hard.

I shouted, both to make a point and to be heard over the noise of the battle field. 'What do you think you're-' He cut me off.

'Are you looking for a man by the name of Sec, sir?' What is it with everyone calling me sir?

'Yes, and I need to find him quickly.'

'He passed through here not so long ago and went that way sir.' Porter pointed in the direction.

'Thanks.' I slammed my foot on the accelerator. It was then that I realised that Porter had climbed into the seat next to me. 'You don't have to come.' I told him.

'I know sir.'

'It's dangerous.'

'Well there is a war on sir. And I'm a soldier so I could be killed at any moment anyway.'

Good point, but I wasn't happy with the idea that I could be responsible for this man's life. 'How do you know Sec?' I asked.

'We shared a train to Quebec City back when I was a lad sir. Mother said that he was one of the kindest men she'd met.'

'Why was that?'

'Mother doesn't have a very good reputation sir. But Sec didn't care about that, I don't think he knew. Anyway he looked after my little sister, Jess for the entire journey sir. You see she was only a baby at the time sir. The strange thing is he didn't appear to have changed much since then.'

'What's your name?'

'James Porter sir.'

'Right, I'm the Doctor not sir.'

'Doctor who?'

'Just the Doctor.'

'Ok... ' he didn't sound too certain. Why can't people just accept that my name is the Doctor? 'Is that him?' He asked pointing vaguely over to the left as the jeep bounced around.

I looked over to where he was pointing. There was a figure of a running man. 'I think so.' I told him, stopping the jeep. I jumped out and ran over to the figure just as he fell over. Never too late, I decided at the back of my mind.


	23. Find Her

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>When I had heard the news of May I felt empty. Like there was something missing. Some part of me. I don't know why - I had never felt like that before.<p>

The next time I slept I had a dream about her. I saw her and the search party out on the frontline. They had already picked up one patient who they were tending to on the move. And then May saw something up ahead. There were masked soldiers marching towards them. But their uniform didn't match the uniforms of this era. They were too advanced.

The search party stared at them. May was telling them to run. Eventually the message got through. But at that moment, when the search party started to run, gun fire broke out. But it wasn't bullets that were fired but lasers. Each member of the party was shot expect May. They didn't shoot at her. She was frantically checking each member for a survivor before the soldiers got too close. She didn't know who they were, but they were clearly after her.

When May was sure that there was no-one left alive she turned and ran. The soldiers stopped marching and ran after her. She was faster than them and then a there was a flash of light and a new rank appeared in front of her. She was trapped. But she wasn't going out without a fight.

She swung a fist at the nearest soldier, who staggered back. She jumped and kicked with both feet at another who fell over. She landed taking a moment to adjust herself to keep her balance. A moment too long. Two soldiers jumped on her and restrained her. She struggled vainly.

'What do you want?' She cried out. The soldiers didn't reply.

The dream ended.

* * *

><p>Every time I close my eye the same dream, the same images returned. The same thought, <em>find her<em>. Eventually I was convinced that May was alive. Somewhere. I just had to find her.

So that's what I was doing. At the first opportunity I took the Holographic projector and ran. Out of the hospital, past the trenches and onto the battle field.

All I could think about was May and the dream. I kept on running in random directions. Ignoring the sounds of battle around me. I was too busy looking. Looking for any clue as to whom those soldiers were, what they wanted and, most importantly, I was looking for any sign of May.

And then I came across the bodies. Burnt from where the laser had hit them. The remains of the search party. I carried on running. May had to be close by.

My body was weakening form the sudden amount of exercise. I didn't care. I was sure that I had managed to open a few old wounds. But I wasn't going to stop and tend them. I would keep going until either I found May or reached my limit. I knew I was getting close to the latter.

I couldn't see properly. Black dots filled my vision. And then my legs gave way beneath me and I fell to my knees.

'Sec!'

I turned dazed to see who was calling. The Doctor ran over to me, a young man followed behind him. I recognised him but couldn't put a name to his face.

'Come on, we need to get you back.' The Doctor said, holding my arm across his shoulders to support my weight and lifting me to a stand. 'Don't ever run off like that again.' The other man came to help, and we started walking slowly to wherever they were taking me.

'Where's May?' I asked. 'Can you see her anywhere?'

'I'm sorry Sec but she was lost, remember?' The Doctor must have thought I was confused. I couldn't think straight so in a way I guess I was. 'The search party never returned.'

'The search party is here.' I told him. He stopped walking and looked around.

'But what happened?' He asked. I presumed he was voicing his thoughts aloud so I said nothing. He let go of me so that the man, I still couldn't put a name on him, supported me.

I watched him scan the bodies with the sonic screwdriver. 'Laser fire? But that's far too advanced.'

'Where's May?' I asked again.

'I don't know. I can't see her anywhere.' The Doctor now knew that there was something else going on. Something other.

And then the soldiers appeared, the ones from the dream, in a flash of light. A Transmat?

I wasn't completely sure what happened next. The next thing I knew was that we were in a metal room and there was the throb of engines below us. I knew that we were no longer on Earth.

The room was filled with computer terminals with various readouts. I couldn't concentrate properly to see what they were. The soldiers were still around us. Why hadn't we been shot?

The Doctor stepped forward. I knew he was talking to someone. I couldn't see who. I couldn't see very well at all. Everything seemed to merge into one. One sound. One blurred image. And then there was the darkness. It clouded over all of my senses, again.


	24. Plots and Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>We were transported from the battle field to a space ship on the same Transmat the soldiers had used to get to Earth. I knew that these were the people that were responsible for the search party's fate. The question was why?<p>

I looked around the room we were in. Computer terminals. I took a moment to observe the readouts. One was emitting some kind of message. Another was scanning for the Earth for something, I didn't get a chance to look at that one properly as I saw a woman coming over to us.

'Hello.' I said going over to her. 'I take it you're in charge here.'

'This is my ship, yes.' She replied.

'Good, then you can tell us exactly what's going on.'

'I don't think so.' She turned to the soldiers. 'I told you we only needed one.'

They didn't reply.

'One what exactly?' I asked.

She ignored me. 'Well who got there first?' She asked.

Again they didn't reply.

She sighed. 'Well perhaps you can tell me.' She said to me.

'Tell you what?'

'Who got there first? The one who received the message?'

'What message?'

'Then it evidently wasn't you. What about you?' She asked James.

'I don't know what you talking about. Where are we?'

'Not you then. So it must be him.' She indicated to Sec.

Then I understood what she meant by first. Sec had been the first person to reach the site where the search party had been attacked.

'Why do you need him?' I noted that Sec didn't seem very aware as to what was going on.

'To make sure that the girl does as she's told.'

The girl? May? 'Why do you need her? What are you trying to get her to do?'

'Doctor.' James called.

'Not now. Tell me what is going on here.'

'Doctor!'

I turned to see what the fuss was about. Sec had collapsed. I went over.

'Is he going to be ok?' James asked.

'I think so.' A slight lie, the truth is I had no idea.

'What wrong with him?'

'Blood loss and exhaustion.'

'That can be easily solved.' The woman said. 'You two.' She ordered to the soldiers. 'Take him to the med suit and get him fixed.'

The soldiers did as they were told without a word. I watched them pick him up as if he was weightless and carry him from the room. The soldiers were evidently robotic. I was reluctant to let them take Sec away, but I told myself it was probably the best thing for him. For the moment.

'Who are you?' I asked the woman.

'Laitha, I'm the gamekeeper.'

Gamekeeper? Then I understood what was going on. I had come across similar attempts before. 'You're turning Earth into a game. A great big war game. World War Two.'

'Yes and no. I need the result of the war to work out in my favour.'

'You're favour?'

'I need Germany to conquer all of Europe. And then Russia and America will fall leaving all of the Earth under one power.'

'And to do that you need May. Why?'

'I need an assassin.'

'Right. To get rid of who? Churchill? Yeah. By getting rid of all the opposition leaders you ensure victory. Correct?'

'Yes.'

'Only May refused. And that's why you sent out that message. It reached into people's minds, but only those thinking about May. To find someone close to her. To blackmailing her to do as you wished. Of course there was more than one person, but everyone else had other things to think about. I was concerned about Sec. Nurse Edwards had her patients to distract her. Patients, friends etcetera all distractions. All except Sec. 'Cos he didn't have anything else to focus on. He received your message and it manipulated him. That's why he was so determined to find May. He was the first person to find where the search party had been attacked. That's what you meant by first wasn't it?'

'Very good.'

'But why May? Why a child?'

'May is not human.'

'Yes but neither am I. Neither is Sec.'

'She was the only one who came into range.'

'Range? Oh of your Transmat. But even then why May? Why someone who wasn't human?'

'Because it is the humans who are at war.'

'And you don't think you can trust them because of it. So you ensure victory, then what? No don't tell me.' I had worked it out and I was angry. How could someone plan this and be so calm, so cold and casual about it? 'You then divide the Earth into kingdoms, or something similar. One for each player. A war game as real as you can get it. Only it won't work. 'Cos that would change history.'

'But that doesn't affect me.'

She had a point, it didn't directly affect her. 'But why use someone else to do the work for you? Why not send one of this lot?' I asked pointing to the robotic soldiers. 'Or even do it yourself.'

She was about to answer. But I got there first. 'You don't want to get your hands dirty and this lot are only programmed to follow simple commands and aren't imaginative enough to complete the task. So now what? You've got me. You've got James. You've got Sec. And somewhere, hidden away, you've got May.'

'Clearly you're too clever to be released back to Earth. Put them in Cell 2.'

We were then manhandled to the cell. Not the greatest of outcomes but at least now I knew exactly what was going on. The cell was a dark place with one porthole, which didn't show much more than the outer reaches of the solar system.

I looked over at James. He seemed to be taking all of this very well. Either that or didn't have a clue what was going on, but just went along with it. Probably the latter.

I examined the lock on the door. A keypad with a deadlock seal. Great, I thought sarcastically. I guess we'll have to do this the long way. I started typing in random combinations.

A little while later the door opened. Yes! No. It was just one of the guards bringing back Sec. He was still wearing the Holographic Projector. Thank goodness, I wouldn't want to see James's reaction if he wasn't.

Sec seemed to be in a better state. He was more awake and alert. His wounds had been patched up. Although he had no idea what was going on. I explained all that had happened, still continuing with typing in random combinations. One of them had to work.

'Doctor you night as well stop.' Sec said coming over to me. 'There's a quicker way.'

'It's deadlocked sealed' I told him.

'I guessed that.'

'So what do you mean there's a quicker way?'

'James?'

James looked at him confused. 'I don't know sir.'

Sec went over to him and took out a handgun from his jacket.

'You were armed?' I asked James.

'He's a soldier what did you expect?' Sec retorted.

True. Sec aimed the gun at the keypad. 'Sec, no.' Too late, he fired. 'Do you realise that we could now be stuck in here?'

'No.' He said as he went over to the broken keypad and fiddled with the wiring.

The door opened. 'Sec did I ever tell you that you are brilliant?'

'No. But I remember you saying that I was clever.'

I smiled and we left the cell. Now we all had to do was stop Laitha, stop May and stop any major changes to Earth's history. We had no plan, no weapons (I decided to make James's gun permanently inoperable. Yay for sonic!) and no idea where to start.


	25. Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>The Doctor had asked me what had happened in the med suit. I told him I didn't know. When I woke up I was on my feet walking towards Cell 2, which we had now left.<p>

'Ah Cell 1.' The Doctor said as he went to the cell next door, before disappointedly announcing. 'I can't open it.'

'Then we'll have to find another way. We can spend ages working out the combination or we can go and find it.' I told him.

'And at the same time we can work out how to stop Laitha. This way.' The Doctor took the lead at a fast pace.

I followed James came up beside me. He kept looking at me in a way that I didn't understand. As soon as the Doctor had said his name I knew who James was and why I had recognised. Human children grow up fast. 'Everything ok?' I asked him.

'You haven't... haven't changed at all.' I he said.

'Well...' I started. '... I guess that...' How do I explain?

'They said that you, the Doctor and May weren't human. Is that true?'

'Yes.'

'Then what are you? Who are you?'

'People from different stars, different worlds.' The Doctor replied, rescuing me.

'But that's impossible.'

'Is it?' The Doctor asked. 'Look around you.'

James did. 'But I don't understand.'

'That's expected. You wait. 1969 and you lot reach the moon.'

'But that's 29 years away. How can you possibly know that?'

'I'm a time traveller.'

'That's even more impossible.'

'Is it? I never noticed. Come on we have to stop Laitha from taking over your planet and making it an endless war zone.'

James nodded and we continued on.

We entered a room full of computer terminals. I knew that it was the room we had Transmatted into. It was empty. No robot soldiers, no Laitha. Good. We could find out what we needed without too much trouble.

'James keep a look out.' The Doctor told him before going over to a computer terminal using the sonic screwdriver to increase the computer's speed. 'There combination code to the cells 95813746. Right we can go and get May.'

'No we can't.' I told him. 'She's already left.'

'What?' The Doctor asked looking at the terminal I was at.

'They're tracking her. She's on Earth.'

'Then we need to go after her.'

'Is there a way we can shift the Transmat's co-ordinates?' I asked.

'So we can intercept her? Good idea. Let's find out.' The Doctor and I started working.

It reminded me of the Transgenetic lab. When we had tried to make the Dalek-Humans more human. So that they could be free to have their own thought, their own opinion, their own purpose, not one decided for them. And then I remembered something else.

'Dalek Caan.' I muttered.

'What's that Sec?' The Doctor asked.

'Dalek Caan.' I repeated louder. 'Jast and Thay were killed. I'm here.' I explained. 'What happened to Dalek Caan?'

'That's a long story.'

'I need to know.'

'Yes. But not now. I'll tell you later.'

You'd better Doctor, I thought. I continued working.

'Ah see this ship is orbiting the Earth at a fixed point.' The Doctor said.

'The point where the transmat reaches?'

'Yep. So in order to change the location of the transmat we need to change the orbit of the ship.'

'That's going to take a lot of power.' I noted. Perhaps too much? I thought.

'Very good. You two make quite a pair.'

I turned to see Laitha and James. She had a laser gun against his head.

'I'm sorry. She took me by surprise.' James explained.

'Ssh you.' Laitha told him. 'Step away from the terminals.'

The Doctor and I did as we were told. I saw May's progress. She was half way across the channel. I had to think of a way to help.

'Now then, what am I going to do with you? I evidently can't put you back in the cells. And I can't put you back on Earth.' I had an idea. I moved slowly backwards. If I moved slowly enough maybe, she wouldn't notice.

'Why not?' The Doctor asked. Please keep her attention fixed on you, I thought. Even though there was no way the Doctor could know what I was planning.

'Don't act stupid with me.' She hissed angrily. 'Do you have any idea how hard this operation is? Why do you care so much about that stupid planet anyway?'

The Doctor's face went rigid. 'I have friends down there. I have people I care about living on that planet. That planet is home to billions of people. Billions of amazing people. And you would take that away from them? You would destroy their homes, their lives, their freedom, their families, their friends. Tell me why? What's the point?'

Almost there.

'This is business. Are you trying to talk me out of it?' She laughed. I turned to the nearest terminal and begun typing. 'I thought you were supposed to be clever.'

'I'm warning you. One chance. That's all you get. Stop this madness right now.'

'No.' She replied. I sent the formula I had typed into action. She continued speaking. 'Such a pity, you would have-'

The ship lurched. Everyone fell to the floor.

'Sec. What have you done?' The Doctor asked. The ship groaned under the strain.

'Set the ship in motion. Breaking its orbit from the Earth. The only problem is-' Another lurch.

'There's not enough power to do it safely.' The Doctor finished my sentence. The ship tilted. 'Come on.' The Doctor yelled, as the ship's engines groaned louder, sparks began to fly from some of the terminals. 'This ship's going to tear itself apart.'

The Doctor and James ran to where we had transmatted in.

'Sec. Come on.'

'The transmat has to be operated from here.' I yelled back. Laitha ran to where the Doctor and James had been standing.

'NO! Let me do that.'

The Doctor knew what I was doing, and was about to come over when I set the transmat to work. They were gone. All three of them. 'Goodbye Doctor.' I murmured. I fell about the room as the ship tilted and twisted. It's structure wouldn't cope under the strain for long.


	26. The Doctor's Prediction

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

* * *

><p>We were tansmatted back to the battle field. There was no way back to the ship. I saw the sun rising over the battle field. A new day.<p>

'Hang on up there Sec. I'll come back as soon as I can.' I muttered. 'Right come on.' I grabbed James and ran to the jeep, which hadn't been blown up. I had to get to the TARDIS and fast.

The jeep's engine grunted into life.

I was aware that Laitha had also been transmatted to Earth, she was following us but not fast enough. She screamed at us for leaving behind. I decided it was her own fault. She had her chance.

We were off at full speed. The jeep rattled over the rough ground. Come on. Keep going. Faster.

'Should we let someone know we're coming?' James asked.

'Hello.' I shouted down the radio. 'Anyone there?'

'Hello. Who is this? Over.'

'This is Delta Mike Zero Three Five.' James took over with the radio. 'Where are we heading?' He asked me.

'The field hospital of course.'

'We're heading over to the field hospital. Over.' He repeated down the radio.

'We expect to your arrival soon. Over.'

'Get them to ask Nurse Edwards if she's made my cup of tea yet.' I told James. Tea is important.

'The Doctor wants to know if Nurse Edwards has made his cup of tea yet. Over.'

'We'll get her on the line.'

A few minutes past. I drove past the trenches and onto the road. We would be there soon. Hang on just a little bit longer Sec, I thought.

'Hello? Doctor?' Nurse Edwards' voice came through the radio.

'I'm here.' I took the radio from James.

'Your tea's gone cold. Have you found Sec yet?'

'Yes, but he's not currently with us.' The hospital was in sight.

There was no reply.

'I'm going back for him as soon as I can.' I told her.

'He's still alive then?'

'I hope so.'

I turned the jeep around a corner. The front entrance of the hospital. Nurse Edwards ran over to us from a group of men. She had been using their radio.

'What happened?' She asked.

'Not now.' I told her jumping out of the jeep and running into the hospital.

I dodged around hospital staff and equipment as I ran past. How long did Sec have left up there? Not long. I yanked opened the door of a cupboard. I had parked the TARDIS within.

I ran over to the console. And with the pull of the lever the TARDIS was in flight. A few tense moments passed as I operated the controls. The TARDIS landed. I opened the door.

Either the entire ship was upside down or I seriously needed to revise how I fly the TARDIS. I decided the ship was upside down when I saw Sec fall onto the ceiling (or should that now be the floor?).

He had heard the TARDIS appear and was making his way over. I ran over to help him. Dodging bits of computer that were being hurtled around as the ship tossed and turned. I fell over several times as did he. But eventually we made it back to the TARDIS.

I went in but he hesitated and stood outside. I didn't care what was going through his mind at the moment, but I wasn't going to let him die. I pulled him through the door and closed it. Not a moment later the ship's structure finally gave way and it was torn, literally, apart. All that was left were tiny pieces of debris floating around in space.

'You ok?' I asked Sec.

He stared around the TARDIS in awe.

'Sec?'

'It's amazing. I mean I always knew... you know what they say... Dimensionally transcendental... but you never think...'

I was a bit miffed that Sec hadn't stated that the TARDIS was bigger on the inside like everyone else, but then again, Sec wasn't like everyone else.

I smiled regardless. I loved the reaction the TARDIS's interior had on people. know matter who they were, they were almost always amazed. Almost. There was the odd exception, the Master and other Time Lords for instance. Back when...

...Your song will end soon...

...He will knock four times...

'Doctor?'

'Hmm?' I said snapping out of my thoughts.

'Is everything alright?'

'Yeah.' I said quickly. Perhaps too quickly. 'Anyway we need to find May.' I said, changing the subject.

Sec looked at me concerned. 'Always moving on.' Sec muttered.

'Yeah.' I said quietly and sadly. He heard.

'Like you said we need to find May. Last we saw she was half way across the channel.' He said.

'But where is she now?' I asked, examining the TARDIS computer.

'No idea exactly.' Sec answered. 'But we know where she's heading.'

'And we can get there first.' It would be good to see Winston again. I thought as I set the TARDIS's co-ordinates to re-materialise in Cabinet War Rooms. I remembered rescuing him from certain death in the Boer War. Back in my, admittedly rather arrogant, sixth incarnation. I wondered how Peri had managed to put up with me for so long.

'I suggest you hold onto something.' I advised Sec. The TARDIS never did like a short journey within the same time line, let alone two. I pulled the lever and the TARDIS was in flight.

'Oh behave.' I told it bringing the mallet down on the console a few times.

'I thought you knew how to drive this thing.' Sec said, smiling as the TARDIS rocked and juddered as it flew.

'This is how you drive it.' I told him with a grin bringing down the mallet again. One last bang for luck.

The TARDIS re-materialised. Sec and I stepped out.

'Ah. Maybe not the Cabinet War Rooms as I had planned.' I said as I saw that the TARDIS had landed near the edge of a cliff. Sorry Winston, maybe another time?

'It doesn't matter. I think that's May over there.' Sec said pointing out a small rowing boat in the sea's horizon.

Eventually we found a way to off the cliff and down to the shore. I was sure it would have been quicker if we had climbed down the cliff-face but Sec had flatly refused that route so we had to find another.

We stood on the shore waiting for May.

'So what will you do now?' I asked.

'No idea. I can't go back to the trenches. I can't fight.'

'Why's that?'

'I tried. I really did. I wanted to help. During the advance I had to shoot but I couldn't. All that went through my head. Everything I had done wrong... And I'm sorry for it all. Everything.'

I nodded. 'So am I.' We shared our regret for a moment. 'You could always help May. At the hospital.' I suggested

'I like that idea.'

'Just don't invent or use anything before it's time.'

'You don't think I already know that?'

'Good point. But even so just be careful. And make sure you look after her.' I pointed to May as she got closer to the shore.

'What did happen to Dalek Caan?' Sec asked.

I sighed. 'I'll shorten it 'cos it's quite a long story.' I told him. I also missed out the fact that I didn't want to go over all of the details. Poor Donna. 'I offered him the chance to change back in New York. He escaped. Emergency Temporal Shift. He entered into the Time War.'

'But that's time locked.'

I nodded. 'And still is. As a result he went insane, but he managed to save Davros from the Nightmare Child. They then rebuilt the Dalek race, which was then destroyed... All of them have gone now.'

'Thanks for letting me know.'

'Right then, I better be off. Civilisations to save and all that.' I turned and walked off.

Half way up the cliff I looked back. May was dragging the boat onto the shore. Sec ran over to her. I watched the happy reunion, with a smile. Never too late. Not this time.

I turned and walked over to the TARDIS key in hand. 'Just you and me again old girl.' I told the doors as I put the key in. 'And I still haven't had my tea yet.'

'Doctor.'

I turned and saw May behind me. 'Oh hello.'

She wore a serious face. 'Don't ask me why or how I know this. But you must be careful.'

'Careful? I'm always careful. I'm the king of caref-'

'Because your song is ending soon.'

But how? How did she know that? Was it really going to happen?

May turned and left. I saw Sec waiting for her in the distance.

I entered the TARDIS. 'My song is ending?' I muttered, closing the door. Pondering for a moment. 'We'll see.'


	27. The End

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I am not making any profit from writing this.

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><p><em>The late morning of the 8<em>_th__ of March 1941 AD_

_I walked back to Sec. _'What was about?' _He asked._

'I'm not sure I quite understand. Or that I want to.' _I told him._

_We watched the TARDIS de-materialise._

'Always moving on.' _Sec murmured when the TARDIS had gone. _'Because he can't look back. But if he did, he might see that for each person lost, thousands if not more were saved. If only he saw it that way.'

'If only.' _I replied quietly. _'A lot of- Now hang on.' _I interrupted myself._

'What?' _Sec asked._

'How are we going to get back?'

_Sec laughed._

'Thank you so very much Doctor.' _I complained loudly. _'We're now stuck here.'

'Come on.' _Sec said, putting an arm across my shoulders. _'We'll find a way.'

_Smiling, we turned and walked away._

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><p>FINISHED! YAY! Bored now... Oh well. Hope you enjoyed this.<p>

Thank you Dalek Avion for your support. - Oh and loved reading the Cult of Skaro Chronicles, they're brilliant! :)


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